Poll: Serbs pro-EU, but not ready to give up Kosovo

As Kosovo confirmed its recently declared independence with the parliamentary adoption of a new constitution, a new survey reveals a large majority of Serbian citizens are opposed to their country’s recognition of Kosovo being made a condition of EU membership. 

A large majority of Serbs still want their country to join the EU (63.9%), although the figure has dropped compared to last October, when 71.5% voiced their support for EU accession, reveals the poll, which was released yesterday (9 April). 

However, 71.3% of Serbian citizens consider it unacceptable that the possibility of EU membership is made conditional on Serbia’s recognition of its former province’s secession. 

The release of the poll came one day after EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana called on EU members to allow Belgrade to sign a rapprochement accord with the EU before Serbian elections on May 11, in a move seen as an attempt to rally support for pro-EU forces ahead of the vote. 

Leading Serbian politicians criticised this offer as attempt to interfere in Serbia’s internal affairs. “Any support for Serbia from the EU is welcome, but I will never welcome anyone’s interference in Serbia’s internal affairs,” Serbian President Boris Tadic said on 9 April. 

Serbia’s Kosovo Minister Slobodan Samardzic added that it would be interesting to see whether the EU would continue the stabilisation and association process now that Kosovo is an independent state. 

“Should the EU happen to do that, and does it only with independent states, that would automatically mean that the EU was breaching Article 135 of our agreement on stabilisation and association with the EU, where Kosovo’s position is clearly defined,” the minister explained. 

Samardzic also spoke out against Kosovo’s new constitution, which was adopted unanimoulsy by the Kosovar assembly on 9 April and will enter into force on 15 June, describing it as “completely illegal and illegitimate from the point of view of Serbia, the Serbs that live in Kosovo and international law”. 

Meanwhile, France continues to push the Serbian government to accept Kosovo’s independence declaration and focus on Belgrade’s further EU integration, the French minister of European affairs, Jean-Pierre Jouyet, told the newspaper Vecernji List yesterday (9 April). 

“The existence of an independent Kosovo is now a reality,” Jouyet said, adding that “we understand that it could cause difficulties to some, notably Serbia, but we call on them to face the reality and turn towards the future, which is undoubtedly within Europe”. 

Jouyet said the European Union was “determined” to make the “recognition of Kosovo a factor of stability in the region”. 

France was among the first countries to recognise Kosovo’s independence from Serbia after it was unilaterally proclaimed on February 17 (EURACTIV 18/02/08). 

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