AI Regulation in Serbia: Data Protection & Compliance
An overview of Serbia’s AI ethics guidelines, compliance strategies & regulatory developments for 2025.
Serbia is advancing its artificial-intelligence (AI) governance framework in step with European Union (EU) norms and global standards. The country’s updated strategy (2025-2030) sets out new legislative, institutional and infrastructural measures. Organizations operating in Serbia’s digital economy must monitor these developments closely to align with emerging obligations and maintain a competitive edge.
The Development and Deployment of Artificial Intelligence in Serbia
Serbia is positioning itself as a leading AI hub in Southeast Europe, seeking to balance innovation with responsible governance. With the government’s adoption of the Strategy for the Development of Artificial Intelligence (2025‑2030) in January 2025, Serbia builds on its earlier strategy and signals its ambition to unlock AI-driven growth, modernise public services and strengthen its digital economy. This updated strategy emphasises legislative alignment, infrastructure investment including a national AI platform, support for research and start‐ups, and expanded public-sector AI applications. The result is a regulatory environment where businesses both domestic and international can innovate within clearly defined ethical and legal boundaries, supporting trust and sustainable growth.
Introduction to Serbia’s Regulatory Landscape for AI
Serbia’s AI regulatory ecosystem is built on three foundational pillars - innovation, ethics, and international cooperation - reflecting the country’s commitment to fostering technological advancement while ensuring responsible governance. Serbia’s approach prioritises alignment with the EU’s existing adn forthcoming horizontal regulation , ensuring compatibility. At the same time, it integrates global governance standards established by bodies such as the OECD and the , reinforcing a risk-based, human-centric approach to AI oversight.
To steer the implementation of its AI strategy and forthcoming legislation, Serbia has established the Council for Artificial Intelligence, a coordinating body that brings together government ministries, academia, and industry stakeholders to ensure cohesive policy execution and international alignment.
Global Standards & Policy Instruments Shaping Serbia’s AI Policy
While Serbia does not yet have full, standalone AI legislation, its regulatory thinking draws significantly on risk-based classification of AI systems (unacceptable risk, high risk, limited risk, minimal risk). This enables Serbia to target regulation at higher risk AI-applications while allowing more latitude for innovation in lower-risk contexts. Although Serbia is not yet an EU member, the EU AI Act already exerts influence - especially for Serbian firms serving EU clients or offering cross-border AI services. Serbia is aligning its national strategy and future law with the EU’s approach to enable smoother market access. Serbia played host to the in December 2024 and adopted the , reaffirming its commitment to international collaboration, human-centric AI, narrowing the digital divide and fostering trust in AI.
Government Engagement in AI Education & Public Administration
Serbia is actively promoting the use of AI across government services, with special focus on ethical guidelines for trustworthy AI, transparency in public-sector AI systems, and staff training for civil-servants. The AI strategy emphasises modernising public services using AI. The government is supporting educational programmes, partnerships with universities and innovation hubs to prepare the workforce for AI-driven transformation. Key topics include IP (“patent law implications for AI”) and data governance.
Serbia’s Digital Economy & AI Regulation Framework
As Serbia’s digital economy continues to integrate artificial intelligence technologies, regulatory compliance has become a critical determinant of business success. The national framework is designed to provide structured yet flexible guidance for organizations of all sizes - from emerging start-ups to established enterprises. It outlines clear deployment guidelines for AI systems, ensuring that innovation proceeds within transparent and accountable boundaries. At the same time, it introduces proportionate compliance mechanisms to support smaller entities and foster innovation without imposing excessive administrative burdens. Moreover, the framework actively promotes alignment with international standards, enabling Serbian companies to operate seamlessly across borders and maintain competitiveness within the broader European and global digital ecosystems. Given its alignment strategy with the EU, Serbia’s AI framework is designed to enable cross-border AI service offerings from Serbia while maintaining compliance with both domestic and international regulatory requirements. Serbia’s AI regulation considers smart-city and next-generation network applications of AI. Although not all regulation is fully in force yet, the strategy emphasises:
- Data-protection safeguards for citizen information
- Transparency and public consultation for urban AI deployments.
- Environmental and social impact assessments of AI systems.
Addressing Key AI Concerns through Regulation
Serbia’s emerging AI regulatory framework adopts a proactive approach to managing risks associated with artificial intelligence. It seeks to strengthen cybersecurity, ensure reliable and responsible deployment, and promote fairness and diversity in AI development.
Cybersecurity and AI Governance
Serbia’s AI regulation recognises the deep intersection between artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, emphasising the need for resilient digital infrastructures. Organizations are encouraged to adopt comprehensive risk-management frameworks, drawing on internationally recognised standards such as ISO/IEC 23894 for AI risk management. These measures aim to protect both AI systems and the sensitive data they process, ensuring integrity, confidentiality, and operational continuity across sectors.
Reliable and Responsible AI Deployment
To build public trust and accountability, Serbia’s framework underlines the importance of reliability throughout the AI lifecycle. It calls for:
- Pre-deployment validation and testing of AI systems to verify performance and compliance.
- Continuous monitoring and lifecycle auditing to detect drift, misuse, or degradation.
- Timely corrective actions wherever bias, errors, or adverse impacts are identified.
This approach ensures that AI technologies remain transparent, controllable, and consistent with ethical and legal standards.
Bias Mitigation and Gender-Balanced Development
Serbia places particular emphasis on bias prevention and inclusive AI design.
- High-risk AI applications must undergo structured bias-assessment procedures.
- Diverse development teams are encouraged to integrate multiple perspectives and reduce systemic bias.
- Regular bias testing and documented corrective measures are required to maintain fairness throughout the AI lifecycle.
By embedding these principles into regulation, Serbia aims to advance equitable AI innovation that reflects societal values and upholds human rights.
Core AI Principles in Serbia’s Regulatory Framework
Serbia’s AI governance is built on widely-recognised principles adapted to its national context as shown in the following table:
| Principle | Description |
|---|---|
| Human-Centric AI | AI systems must preserve human oversight, protect fundamental rights, and uphold human dignity in all stages of design, deployment, and use. |
| Transparency & Explainability | Particularly for high-risk AI systems, decision-making processes must be clear, traceable, and explainable to affected users and regulators. |
| Accountability & Governance | There must be clearly defined responsibility chains for AI system outcomes, supported by strong governance and audit mechanisms. |
| Privacy & Data Protection | Comprehensive data protection and privacy safeguards must be integrated throughout the AI lifecycle, especially where personal or sensitive data are processed. |
Fig 1.0 These guiding principles form the ethical foundation of Serbia’s AI regulatory framework, ensuring responsible innovation and public trust
Evaluation of High-Risk AI Applications in Serbia
High-risk AI applications like biometric systems, critical-infrastructure systems are subject to enhanced oversight. Under Serbia’s emerging framework they must undergo:
- Fundamental‐rights impact assessment for affected individuals.
- Risk-mitigation review and ongoing effectiveness evaluation.
- Compliance check with ethical guidelines and international standards.
- Ongoing monitoring and mandatory reporting obligations.
While Serbia’s full AI -law is not yet fully operative, the strategy envisages full implementation by the end of 2027.
Serbia’s Role in the Global AI Landscape
Serbia is positioning itself as a bridging jurisdiction between EU regulation and non-EU markets. Its leadership in GPAI, adoption of the Belgrade Declaration, and proactive strategic measures boost its role as a regional AI governance hub. For international businesses, Serbia offers opportunities for compliant AI deployment across multiple jurisdictions, provided regulatory and market entry preparations are properly managed.
FAQs: AI Regulation in Serbia
What are the key requirements for AI companies operating in Serbia?
Companies in Serbia should monitor the upcoming AI Law (under preparation) and adhere to current strategic measures: ethical-guidelines, data-protection rules, risk-assessment frameworks, and human-centric AI principles.
How does Serbia’s AI regulation align with EU standards?
Serbia’s strategy expressly aligns with the EU AI Act and related EU standards. Though not an EU-member yet, Serbia aims for de-facto compatibility to ensure smooth access to the EU digital market.
What support is available for businesses implementing AI compliance in Serbia?
The Serbian government (via the Ministry of Science, Technology Development & Innovation) together with the Council for Artificial Intelligence provide strategic guidance. Local law-firms and compliance consultants are also active.
Are there specific requirements for biometric AI systems in Serbia?
While full binding legislation is still in progress, biometric-categorisation systems are treated as high-risk and thus foreseeable as subject to enhanced oversight, risk-assessment, ongoing monitoring and bias testing.
How can international companies ensure compliance with Serbian AI regulations?
International companies should engage Serbian regulatory and legal specialists, implement robust compliance frameworks consistent with both Serbian strategy and EU regulation, and maintain governance and audit structures for AI systems.
Start Your AI Compliance Journey in Serbia Today
With Serbia’s AI regulatory landscape evolving rapidly, early preparation is key. Organizations that integrate compliance, ethics and innovation will gain strategic advantage; those that delay risk falling behind. Partnering with regulatory experts, implementing strong governance practices, and embedding trust-worthiness into AI systems will help organisations maintain operational excellence in Serbia’s dynamic AI governance environment.