The Serbian authorities will introduce an amendment to the 2026 budget bill that will allow, if necessary, the nationalization of the company Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS), which is controlled by Russia's Gazprom, Ana Brnabić, the head of the National Assembly (parliament) of Serbia, told Euronews Serbia in an interview.
According to her, she personally does not support this decision, but it is necessary for the country’s energy security.
"I would not nationalize NIS precisely because I am an economic liberal. I believe that nationalization is the wrong path, because it opens Pandora's box. Once you nationalize — each next time it is easier to say: there are grounds, let's nationalize this"
– she said.
The role of President Vučić
Brnabić emphasized that all key decisions in this crisis are being made by Serbia's president Aleksandar Vučić, who is the only one with sufficient political influence to resolve the issue with Russia and other parties.
Context
NIS, the second-largest company in Serbia, has been under threat of U.S. sanctions since the beginning of 2025. U.S. President Joe Biden imposed sanctions on NIS with a delay to allow Gazprom Neft to fully exit the list of shareholders.
At the time the sanctions were introduced, Gazprom Neft's stake amounted to 50%. In February the company reported a reduction to 44.85%. At the same time Gazprom increased its stake from 6.15% to 11.30%, and in September transferred shares to another group company — the joint-stock company "Intelligence" from Saint Petersburg. A further 29.87% of NIS shares belong to Serbia, the remainder to minority shareholders.
These changes proved insufficient, and at the beginning of October sanctions against NIS came into force.
