Serbia's EU bid (EurActiv 04/01/10) will be judged first and foremost on its capacity to deal peacefully with all its neighbours, including maintaining viable cooperative relations with Kosovo, no matter what the future status of its former province will be, said the professor. He also argued that while relations with Bosnia and Croatia can be worked out, the would-be state still represents a major headache for Serbia's leadership.
Following the election of Ivo Josipovic as president of Croatia, the prospect of a thaw between the two countries is on the horizon (EurActiv 12/01/10), the Serbian professor said, referring specifically to a possible end to the legal war over mutual allegations of genocide being waged by the two countries at the International Court of Justice.
According to Radojković, the situation in Bosnia is more strained, due to growing inequality between wealthier ethnic Serbs in Republika Srpska and poorer Bosniaks and Croats in the rest of the country. Serbian President Boris Tadić nevertheless attempted to defuse tensions when, attending an official ceremony in Republika Srpska, he claimed that Serbia is fully committed to the sovereignty of Bosnia-Herzegovina as a unitary state.
The Serbian professor further stressed that Serbian nationalists will not support the independence of Republika Srpska. "[Doing so] could implicitly be seen as a legitimisation of Kosovo's sovereignty," he said.
In this respect, Professor Radojković underlined the significance of the judgement of the International Court of Justice, which could potentially declare Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence unlawful (EurActiv 01/12/09). He also hinted at the possibility of further separation between Kosovo's Serb and Albanian minorities.
When commenting on the internal situation in Serbia, the academic claimed that the process of democratisation was in place but not yet complete. "Our division of powers is not very clear. Politics is too involved in the judiciary and in the media. We are also aware that corruption runs high throughout the country."
However, he commented positively on the grassroot support for EU integration and the impact it might have, especially considering that the major political parties have tacitly reached an agreement to support EU integration. But the major tests of their commitment lie ahead, the professor noted.
Radojković also offered a mixed picture of the state of the Serbian economy, claiming that whilst his country is potentially attractive due to the its free trade agreements with the rest of the Balkans and Russia, a critical lack of investment and competitiveness needs to be tackled.
The professor also stressed the necessity for Serbs to discuss and accept clear responsibilities for war crimes. "We buried the nationalistic problem in the immediate aftermath of World War II only to face it more violently 40 years later. Serbia's past is hindering its future. We need to come to terms with our recent history," he concluded.
