The harmful impact of digital and AI tools on vulnerable groups, violations of the rights of predominantly migrant workers and the increasingly weak enforcement of laws with respect to foreign investors in Serbia are just some of the findings presented by the United Nations Working group on Business and Human Rights in its new report, following its visit to Serbia in October last year.
This body, which operates under the UN Human Rights Council’s “special procedures”, is mandated to promote, disseminate and support the implementation of the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in member states. It is composed of independent and experienced human rights experts.
Following its visit and the collection of additional information through the end of April of this year, the Working group prepared a report on the state of human rights in the context of business activities in Serbia, including large development projects, labour rights, the situation of particularly vulnerable groups, new technologies, business oversight and access to legal remedies. A significant portion of the report focuses on the findings and recommendations of these experts regarding the crucial issues that The A 11 Initiative has been researching and documenting for years in order to protect the rights of vulnerable groups.
Foreign investment is above the law: The Linglong case of labour exploitation
One of the most alarming sections of the report deals with the situation of migrant workers, whose numbers in Serbia continue to grow due to changes in the labour market, amendments to the Law on the employment of foreigners from 2023 and increased demand linked to preparations for Expo 2027 – particularly in construction, hospitality, services and transportation. Once again, attention is focused on the Linglong factory in Zrenjanin.
Following previously documented allegations of serious abuses of foreign workers’ rights at the Linglong factory in 2021, the Working group received additional information from June 2025 indicating the recurrement of similar patterns. According to this information, workers face passport confiscation upon their arrival, recruitment-related debts of up to USD 10,000, delayed wages and unpaid overtime, as well as intimidation and threats when speaking publicly about their problems.
These allegations further reinforce the Working group’s concerns regarding weak state oversight – an issue that The A 11 Initiative has repeatedly highlighted over the past several years.
The report specifically notes that, although labour inspectors are authorized to conduct unannounced inspections, this authority is rarely exercised, particularly in relation to foreign companies.
Experts also point out that the Government’s focus on attracting and keeping foreign investment in Serbia may create institutional reluctance to enforce labour standards, especially where delays or sanctions could affect projects of significant economic or political importance.
Digitalisation of social assistance and threats to the right to privacy
In the area of new technologies, the Working group expressed concern about the absence of any requirement to conduct human rights impact assessments prior to deployment of technologies, including artificial intelligence.
As a particularly relevant example, the report highlights the digitalisation of social protection through the Social Card law, adopted in 2022.
Since the introduction of the system, approximately 25 percent of beneficiaries (according to the latest data from The A 11 Initiative, more than 60,000 citizens) have lost access to social assistance, often as a result of inaccurate or misclassified data within the system. The report identifies Roma waste pickers as a particularly affected group, noting that their informal income may have been incorrectly recorded as regular earnings.
The report emphasises that the constitutionality of the law has been challenged before the Constitutional Court and that the Ministry of Labour has never provided access to the Social Card algorithm and source code. We recall that the proceedings before the Constitutional Court were initiated by The A 11 Initiative.
Systemic exclusion of women and Roma in the labour market
The report maps deep economic and social inequalities affecting women in the labour market, as well as members of the Roma national minority. Most Roma women and men face barriers to accessing formal employment and rely heavily on informal work, which provides only minimal social protection. Many are engaged in dangerous informal jobs, such as waste collection and construction work, often without access to labour rights and social benefits.
In addition, many Roma settlements remain outside formal urban planning, while certain development projects threaten their removal or displacement without participation of affected communities in decisions concerning their land and housing, and without the provision of alternative accommodation.
The report confirms what civil society organisations, trade unions and others have been repeating for years – inspection services operate far below capacity while the state focuses on attracting and retaining foreign investment at the expense of labour standards.
According to the report, such an approach further weakens worker protection and makes access to legal remedies more difficult.
A significant part of the report also addresses the work of the Protector of Citizens with regard to the effectiveness of the institution and its willingness to publicly respond to human rights violations connected to business activities, including the case of the canopy collapse in Novi Sad. The Working group notes that, despite its formal mandate, the Protector of Citizens appears hesitant to challenge unlawful state practices.
The Working group recommended a series of measures to Serbia, including the introduction of mandatory human rights due diligence for all companies operating in the country, stronger labour inspection oversight and legal aid and information programmes for migrant workers. It also emphasised the need for measures aimed at improving the position of women and Roma, the adoption of a National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights and formal mechanisms for early and meaningful participation of communities affected by large development projects.
You can find the full report HERE.
