About: Serbia
Serbia reacts strongly to Kosovo Council of Europe application
Following Kosovo’s submission of an application to the Council of Europe (CoE) on Thursday (12 May), Serbian President Aleksander Vučić called an urgent meeting of the National Security Council for Friday, claiming Pristina has violated a number of agreements.
Bulgaria and Greece plan joint gas deliveries for southeast Europe
Bulgaria and Greece agreed to seek joint gas deliveries for southeastern Europe and decrease its reliance on Russian gas amid the war in Ukraine, Bulgarian Energy Minister Alexander Nikolov said on Thursday (5 May).
Albania looks at gasification with a €4 billion price tag
Amid the global energy crisis, exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, Albania is working to diversify its energy sources, including by introducing gas and wind power, with the former set to cost up to €4 billion to implement.
EU-mediated Kosovo-Serbia dialogue on license plates fails
Kosovo and Serbia have failed to agree on the issue of license plates, an issue that sparked unrest along the border in September 2021, after the deadline expired on Thursday, 21 April.
Pro-Russia Serbs protest in Belgrade to support Russia and against NATO
Thousands of Serbs waving Russian and Serbian flags and carrying pictures of President Vladimir Putin marched through Belgrade to the Russian embassy on Friday, to protest Serbia's government bid to distance itself from Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine.
Kosovo police attacked with grenade and AK-47 by Serbian border
Two Kosovo police cars were attacked on Friday (15 April) with a hand grenade and an AK-47 near the border checkpoint with Serbia in the north of the country.
The Ukraine war and the Balkans: When autocrats pose as stability guarantors
The war in Ukraine has triggered Western Balkan autocrats to position themselves as guarantors of stability and for that reason, regional political initiatives by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić should be ended, experts concluded at a conference held in Sofia on Monday (11 April).
Serbian elections: Vucic’s victory marks the start of his party’s decline
The outcome of the Serbian elections on 3 April was in line with most expectations. The country’s strongman, Aleksandar Vučić, won more than convincingly in the first presidential round, with 58.65% of the votes. But the interesting part is in the details.
Will ‘Postpolitik’ replace ‘Ostpolitik’?
The policy of pragmatic coexistence with autocratic Russia is now recycled in the hands of Russia’s ‘Trojan horses’ in the EU and Vučić’s Serbia, writes Radan Kanev.
Research finds 6,000 ethnic Albanians wiped from voting lists in Serbia
With just days to the Serbian presidential, parliamentary and partial local elections on Sunday (3 April), more than 6,020 citizens have found themselves removed from voter lists in a move activists and researchers say is because they are ethnic Albanians.
Social media companies must increase regulation of their platforms to enable democracy in Serbia
Elections in Serbia and an explosion of pro-Russian disinformation show why manipulation of social media in the Balkans by state actors is now a critical issue for Europe, writes Antoinette Nikolova.
Analyst says if Putin was a candidate in Serbia, he would get over 70% of the vote
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić knows that “Russia has become completely useless for Serbia”, but he will keep up his pro-Putin rhetoric to please his electorate in the run-up to the elections on 3 April, says Orhan Dragaš, a security expert in Belgrade.
Russian support for Serbia no longer possible
Since 24 February, when Russia invaded Ukraine, Serbia can no longer afford to maintain a policy of simultaneous closeness both with the West and Russia, writes Orhan Dragaš.
‘Brothers forever’: many in Serbia back Russia amid global outcry
Amid the thunder of pro-Russian slogans and anti-NATO chants in the streets of Serbia's capital Belgrade, Marko Vezmar was unrepentant in his support for President Vladimir Putin and the invasion of Ukraine.
‘Serbian prosecutors are not fighting corruption because they are afraid’
There is little legal action against corrupt politicians in Serbia because prosecutors are holding back, fearing possible retribution, according to Serbian judge Dragana Boljević, who spoke to EURACTIV about the EU candidate country's judicial system.
Israel in balancing act to keep its airlines flying to Russia
Israel was poised Tuesday (8 March) to extend financial guarantees for its airlines to fly into Russia, raising criticism in Kyiv as most Western airlines boycott Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. A source in Israel’s finance ministry who spoke...
Serbia’s UN vote against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine decrypted
Given Belgrade’s loyalty to Moscow, it came as a surprise to many that Serbia supported a United Nations resolution on Wednesday (2 March) asking Russia to “immediately” withdraw from Ukraine.
Serbia’s loyalty to Putin threatens renewed conflict in the heart of Europe
The Balkans’ “Little Russia” cannot be appeased anymore, as Putin plans to destabilise the region through Russia’s historic ally, Serbia, writes Faton Tony Bislimi, PhD.
The end of the Russian defence of Kosovo
After the Kremlin's recognition of Donbas, it is inconceivable that the Russian ambassador to the UN could say anything against Kosovo's independence without causing laughter in the chamber, writes Orhan Dragaš.
Serbia’s green activists rally against lithium mining
Hundreds of Serbian environmental activists on Thursday (3 February) blocked Belgrade's city centre, demanding a ban on all lithium and borates mining and exploration in the Balkan country.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic accused of ‘bribing voters’
The president of the 'Black and White' (Crno na Belo) movement in Serbia, law professor Vladimir Vuletić, said he would file criminal charges against Serbia's President Aleksandar Vučić, for what he described as "bribing voters" ahead of the 3 April elections.
Australia cancels tennis star Djokovic’s visa citing health risk
Australia cancelled Novak Djokovic's visa for a second time on Friday, saying the world tennis number one who has not been vaccinated for COVID-19 may pose a health risk, effectively ending his bid for a record 21st Grand Slam title.
EU ‘regrets’ Serbian PM participation in Bosnian Serb nationalist extravaganza
Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić attended the “Days of Republika Srpska” celebrations in the Serb half of neighbouring Bosnia, an inflammatory extravaganza condemned by the European Union.