Varhelyi Sees Belgrade’s Small Steps to Align Serbia’s with EU Foreign Policy

Oliver Varhelyi (Photo: European Parliament / Vincent VAN DOORNICK)

European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi said in a July 25 interview with EURACTIV that will for the enlargement of the European Union (EU) was back, and that Serbia had been making “small steps” to align its foreign policy with the Union’s.

When asked if the EU would be interested in accelerating accession talks with Belgrade, Varhelyi said that Serbia “has always been in a very special relationship with Russia.”

”What we can see is that Serbia is in a very difficult situation, given the vulnerability in terms of  energy supply and the unsettled nature of its security framework,“ he said, underlining that the country is almost fully dependent on Russian gas, while Russia holds a majority stake in its leading energy corporation.

The EU enlargement commissioner said that despite the alignment concerns, there had been positive signs over the past few months, one being a Serbian vote in the U.N. General Assembly on Ukraine, which coincided with the West’s.

“We want Serbia to be our ally, we need Serbia to show solidarity with us, and be on our side, but we also need to understand its position when we ask for something,” Varhelyi said.