French Minister: Serbia Belongs in EU, Otherwise It Could Become Entry Point for Authoritarian Regimes

Jean-Noel Barrot (Photo: PtintScreen YouTube)

French Minister for Europe Jean-Noel Barrot stressed on Aug. 29, ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Belgrade, the importance of support to the European path of Serbia, which could, in the opposite case, become “an entry point for instability on the continent and an entry point for all authoritarian regimes, from Russia to China.”

Barrot assessed that Macron’s visit to Serbia, during which Paris and Belgrade intend to close the deal on 12 French Rafale warplanes, was “an important visit with the aim of strengthening bilateral cooperation.” The outgoing French minister for European affairs told Franceinfo that Serbia was “the most important country in the Western Balkans, an enclave at the heart of Europe” and that the Serbian people were turned toward the European Union.