Analyst: Good Neighborly Relations Prerequisite for Serbia to Join EU

The conference “Regional Economic Cooperation – Open Balkan: What can businesses expect?” (BETAPHOTO/AMIR HAMZAGIC)

Serbia must continue to work on resolving open issues with its neighbors because this is not only important to its progress toward the European Union, but also represents an issue of primary significance to internal stability and economic prosperity, Sava Mitrovic, a researcher at the Center for European Policy, said on Aug. 5.

Mitrovic told BETA that Serbia could not hope to advance without cooperation with other countries in the region, which were important economic partners, and that this was why it was important for Serbia to continue its pro-active engagement in all forms of multilateral cooperation in the region.

According to him, initiatives like the Berlin Process, Open Balkans, Danube Strategy and others help connect Serbia to its neighbors, generate new possibilities for development and contribute to stabilization in the Balkans.

"Ultimately, by strengthening multilateral cooperation and building bilateral ties with its neighbors, Serbia can secure the necessary political support in the EU accession process, and hope to complete this two-decade long process," Mitrovic stressed.