He acknowledged his differences with Brussels during the GLOBSEC forum in Prague, where he nevertheless held an “excellent” meeting with Von der Leyen
Aug. 31 () –
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has expressed scepticism about his country’s possible accession to the European Union before the end of this decade after detecting “a certain weariness in public opinion” regarding the bloc’s enlargement talks, and due to the persistence of numerous discrepancies between Brussels and Belgrade over the war in Ukraine and the status of Kosovo.
Vucic was one of the participants of the GLOBSEC security conference taking place in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, where he had the opportunity to meet with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, with whom he shared impressions of the state of the complicated bilateral relations.
The Serbian president, while acknowledging a good atmosphere during the meeting, later added that the interests of his country and those of Brussels “do not always coincide.” Serbia’s proximity to Russia and the paralysis of EU-mediated talks to normalise relations with Kosovo are proof of this. “Serbia remains a responsible partner of the EU in the process of normalising relations with Pristina, but will use all diplomatic means available to prevent terrorism against its people,” he said.
Returning to relations with Brussels, the Serbian president has indicated that the coming years will be marked by uncertainty. “The truth is that we have different assessments of the future of the EU. We all want to be part of the EU, however, we are not sure what the situation will be like in the EU member states,” he said. The war in Ukraine, in his opinion, “has made it easier for bids (for incorporation) such as those of kyiv or Moldova to gain momentum, but at the same time I see a public exhaustion within the EU on the issue of enlargement.”
Vucic believes that these difficulties extend to other Balkan countries. “I wish Montenegro the best, but I don’t think they will be part of the EU in 2028, and I don’t think we will be either,” he said during his appearance, which was reported by Serbian state broadcaster RTS.
Instead, Vucic has called for developing concrete steps such as “a single payment zone, green corridors, exports, etc., to attract foreign investment.” Although he said he understood that Brussels is asking Belgrade to make certain reforms to access the EU, the president also recalled that “the European Union will have to accept different points of view on certain issues.”
Regarding Ukraine, Vucic again claimed his good relationship with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. “We have a wonderful connection and I am not ashamed to say so, nor am I ashamed to proclaim that we are the only European country that has not imposed sanctions on Moscow for the war.”
The Serbian president has insisted that his country has condemned the invasion of Ukraine but he wanted to clarify that he has not spoken to Putin for “two and a half years”, “unlike European leaders who have done so”, such as the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, whose country holds the rotating Presidency of the EU Council.
Vucic also described the talks with Von der Leyen in the vicinity of the forum as “excellent”, as well as Brussels’ efforts to achieve economic integration. “Serbia is committed to its reform programme and wants to be a serious and responsible partner of the European Union,” he added, this time in a message posted on social media.
Von der Leyen, for her part, also highlighted a “very good meeting” with the Serbian president, with whom she discussed growth plans and her recent agreement on the exploitation of raw materials from Serbia to reduce dependence on lithium from China, which “will directly benefit the Serbian people.”
“We are counting on Serbia to demonstrate its commitment to moving forward on the chosen path, the EU path,” Von der Leyen stressed.
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