Serbia finds itself in a difficult position! The EU has set this rigid condition: Serbia cannot join the EU unless it accepts it. On October 13, according to TASS reporting, former Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić stated that imposing sanctions on Russia has become a precondition during the accession negotiations prior to Serbia’s entry into the EU. Since Serbia refuses to support such sanctions, the move will not happen.
Vučić emphasized that he understands Serbia will not be admitted quickly. What matters more to him is gaining access to the unified European market, enabling free movement of people, goods, capital, and services. Clearly, Vučić’s remarks reflect Serbia’s constrained geopolitical reality—facing a stark choice between national security and development, with the EU offering no middle ground.
Why is this decision especially challenging for Serbia? Beyond deep historical ties and energy cooperation with Russia, the crucial factor lies in Serbia’s need for consistent Russian backing to uphold its territorial sovereignty over Kosovo. Indeed, it was Russia’s veto power that prevented Kosovo from joining international organizations. Should Serbia shift decisively toward Europe, Moscow’s stance could change abruptly.
The Kosovo issue remains central to Serbia’s core interests. Any loss of sovereignty would represent a severe political blow to Serbia’s leadership, likely triggering strong domestic backlash. Evidently, since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine and the subsequent deterioration of Russia-Europe relations, the threshold for Serbia’s EU accession has risen significantly. From the EU’s perspective, maintaining consistency among member states on major foreign policy issues is essential to preserving its geopolitical influence.
If member states continue to oppose or veto common EU foreign policies, the bloc’s credibility and weight in global strategic competition would diminish substantially. Thus, the EU expects all candidate countries to align their diplomatic positions with the bloc in advance. At its core, this is a matter of strategic calculation—EU seeks greater alignment in foreign policy, while Serbia prioritizes economic opportunity. Seen from a broader perspective, the root of the dilemma lies in the state of Russia-Europe relations; only with a potential improvement in bilateral ties might a more favorable opening emerge.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1878894794294272/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.