Belgrade (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – On Tuesday, European Council chief Antonio Costa emphasised Serbia’s full commitment to the European Union accession process despite the president’s visit to Moscow last week.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic participated in the May 9 festivities commemorating 80 years since the victory over Nazi Germany, despite EU cautions that this action would be negatively perceived.
Since becoming an EU candidate country in 2012, Serbia has preserved strong ties with Russia and has declined to impose sanctions following the invasion of Ukraine, contrasting with the stance of the European Union it aims to join.
“We cannot celebrate the liberation 80 years ago and not condemn the invasion of a country today,”
Costa stated during a joint press conference with Vucic that Serbia is aware it must align with the EU’s foreign and security policy on its path to EU membership.
Vucic expressed Serbia “supports the territorial integrity of all countries in the world, including Ukraine” and that EU membership is the country’s strategic commitment.
“Serbia today and Serbia tomorrow is on the European path. I accept criticisms. Serbia in Europe is our path, it is our goal, it is our political will,”
He said.
Is Serbia truly committed to the EU accession path?
According to experts, Serbia, which conducts most of its trade with the EU, has been carefully balancing relations between Brussels and Moscow for almost three years.
Since February 2022, Belgrade has welcomed hundreds of thousands of Russians and now depends almost exclusively on Russia for its gas. Currently, it is in negotiations for a new multi-year gas deal with Moscow, as the existing agreement will expire at the end of May.
While visiting Moscow, Vucic emphasised that energy negotiations were a key reason for his trip. The EU frequently raises concerns regarding Serbia’s relationship with Russia and consistently encourages Serbia to align its foreign and security policies with those of the EU.
Is Serbia’s refusal to sanction Russia delaying accession?
The Balkan nation, however, has consistently ignored European sanctions on Russia, with several ministers frequently visiting Russian territory in recent years.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos travelled to Serbia on a two-day mission towards the end of April 2025 with the main aim of moving forward with talks on key reforms crucial to Serbia’s EU integration process. She held a meeting with President Aleksandar Vučić, Prime Minister Đuro Macut, Speaker of Parliament Ana Brnabić, government and opposition coalition members, representatives of civil society, the media and academic institutions.
The EU’s expectations of Belgrade were “nearly identical” to those of protesters who have campaigned for months against institutional corruption following a fatal roof collapse at a railway station in Novi Sad last year, analysts say.
