About: Serbia
Great Serbian vaccinationism
The decision of the Serbian authorities to open the door to their neighbours for vaccination has nothing to do with reviving warm memories of the former Yugoslavia, writes Orhan Dragaš.
Foreign vaccine-seekers flock to Serbia for COVID-19 shots
Elma jumped in her car with her mother and brother as soon as she heard that Serbia was offering free COVID-19 vaccines to foreigners, and made the five-hour trip from her home in Bosnia to queue up for a shot.
Serbia to start producing Chinese Sinopharm vaccine
Serbia will become the first European country to produce the Chinese Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine, the Balkan country's President Aleksandar Vučić said Thursday (11 March).
Majority of French still against Balkans’ EU integration
Some 59% of French citizens do not see the prospect of the Western Balkans countries' EU accession in a positive light, a new study has found. But it also revealed increasing mistrust toward the bloc overall.
With China’s help, Serbia overtakes EU in vaccine rollout
Inside the dome of Belgrade's concrete fair hall, dozens of nurses in hazmat suits inject COVID-19 shots into young and old alike, working with an efficiency that has turned Serbia into continental Europe's fastest vaccinator.
EU regrets Kosovo’s decision to open an embassy in Jerusalem
The European Union voiced regret on Tuesday (2 February) at Kosovo's decision to open an embassy in Jerusalem, made as part of a broader deal brokered by the previous US administration, saying it "diverges" the tiny Balkan country from the EU position.
Serbia to spend €2.5 billion to aid recovery from coronavirus crisis
Serbia plans to spend about €2.5 billion in loans and subsidies to businesses and payments to pensioners and other citizens to help them cope with the economic impact of the coronavirus, President Aleksandar Vučić said on Tuesday (26 January).
Montenegro FM: ‘Zero problem doctrine’ for the Western Balkans
Montenegro will be pursuing a "zero problem doctrine" with its neighbours, while EU accession remains its main priority, Djordje Radulović, the country's new foreign minister, told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview only weeks after the EU hopeful saw its first democratic change of power in 30 years.
EU enlargement in 2021: Moribund or revenant?
In the Western Balkans, where all EU applicant countries (bar Turkey) are located, the year ahead will be dominated by Europe's quest for a vaccine and efforts to restart the economy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Serbia opens Russian-Turkish gas project portion
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić on Friday (1 January) opened a portion of a Russian gas project running through his country and hailed it as key for the security of its energy supply.
Serbia to start COVID-19 vaccinations Thursday
Serbia will begin vaccinating people against Covid-19 on Thursday (24 December), President Aleksandar Vučić said Wednesday, making the Balkan state one of the first in Europe to launch a campaign with the Pfizer-BioNTech shot.
European project in Serbia is now at mercy of Aleksandar Vucic
After eight years of democratic erosion, the regime of Alexander Vučić has fully restored authoritarianism. in Serbia. Today, he commands more unchecked political power than Slobodan Milošević did at the height of his rule in 1990, writes Igor Bandović.
Russia’s Trojan Stream under the Black Sea
The EU’s tacit acceptance of the TurkStream is a serious and dangerous misjudgement of the perils this diversionary pipeline presents, writes Olga Bielkova.
EU enlargement: Beware the veto epidemic
Dangling its veto, Bulgaria only uses its position of EU member to achieve some of its foreign policy interests, in the same way that many other have done before. The problem is that the EU does not have the desire and the way to discourage such unilateral actions, writes Orhan Dragaš.
Ethnic Croats to prop new Serbian government
Serbia's new government will have a shorter term, as the next general election will be held in April 2022 at the latest, simultaneously with the presidential polls and municipal elections in Belgrade, Serbian president and leader of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), Aleksandar Vučić, said on Tuesday (20 October).
Commission seeks to revive enlargement with new package
The European Commission published its long-awaited enlargement package on Tuesday (6 October) in a fresh attempt to revive the stalled process with promises of more substantial economic assistance in exchange for reforms. The package included country-specific reports on the progress of the six Western Balkans countries and Turkey.
Why is recent Serbia-Kosovo agreement no good news for Western Balkans?
The Serbian leadership signed an agreement in Washington in order to advance the achievement of the so-called “Serbian world", and that risks opening the Pandora's box in the whole region of the Western Balkans, writes Filip Milacic.
Belgrade-Pristina deal only way to counter ‘influences from the East’, Kosovo PM says
Unless Serbia and Kosovo normalise their relations, the Western Balkans will remain vulnerable to foreign influence coming from the East, Kosovo's Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti warned MEPs on the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee Thursday evening (10 September.
Serbia, Kosovo sign economic pact at White House
Former Balkan foes Kosovo and Serbia have agreed on a historic pact to normalise economic relations, US President Donald Trump announced at the White House on Friday (4 September), hailing the agreement as "historic".
Serbia, Kosovo leaders gear up for tough US talks
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić is travelling to Washington this week for talks between Belgrade and Priština in the hope of discussing the economy while Kosovo Premier Avdullah Hoti insists that mutual recognition is the only topic he can discuss with...
Montenegro votes with identity, economy at the fore
Montenegro's pro-West leader is fighting to extend his party's 30-year grip on the EU candidate country on Sunday (30 August) in polls dominated by identity debates and anxiety over a pandemic-hit economy.
Serbian purchase of missile defence system shows ties deepening with China
Serbia has bought a new generation of medium-range, radar-guided surface-to-air missiles from China in a new sign of deepening cooperation between Beijing and Belgrade.
Nothing gets done by sitting out
For years, Serbia lagged behind. We were a step away from bankruptcy, in April 2012, our unemployment rate was 25.5%, with youth unemployment at 51.5%. Our leaders spent money we did not have and watched our infrastructure decay and our population flee the country. Today, the reality is very different, writes Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić.