Additional assistance to Serbia

(a) Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that, after the submission of the certification described in subsection (c), should the Government of Serbia take steps to reinforce its Euro-Atlantic path, including a credible and independent accounting of the Novi Sad canopy collapse and accountability for excessive use of force against peaceful protesters— (1) the President should take steps to improve the bilateral relationship between the United States and Serbia, including actions to bolster Serbia’s democratic institutions and its resilience to malign foreign influence; (2) the Secretary, in consultation with other heads of relevant Federal departments and agencies, should seek to further enhance people-to-people contacts and academic exchanges between the United States and Serbia; and (3) the President, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, should maintain, and as appropriate, expand security and defense cooperation with Serbia consistent with Serbia’s alignment with NATO and European Union security priorities. (b) In general Upon submission to Congress of the certification described in subsection (c), additional assistance is authorized to be provided to Serbia. (c) Certification described The certification described in this subsection is a certification submitted to Congress by the President that Serbia has shown significant and sustained progress toward independent judicial accountability, media freedom, and alignment of its foreign and security policy with that of the European Union and NATO.