05/05/2026 (Agence Europe) – On Tuesday 5 May, the European Commission welcomed the joining of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) by eighteen Serbian banks. This integration will make euro transactions between these banks and the European Union “more reliable, faster and cheaper”, it said in a press release on the same day, estimating the savings at up to “€400 million”. The decision to integrate was taken by the European Payments Council after Serbia entered SEPA’s geographical scope in May 2025. Serbia is the fifth EU candidate country to join the SEPA schemes, followed by Albania, Moldova, Montenegro and North Macedonia. (MB)