Expert: EU Needs To Rethink its Policy of Giving Vucic Carte Blanche

EU flags (PHOTO: EUROPEAN UNION/Zucchi Enzo)

To the European Commission Serbia is an important candidate for membership that is supposed to secure stability in a region of conflicts, yet Serbian officials stand out with their provocative statements and Serbia is increasingly leaning toward Russia and China without any reaction from Brussels, the Editor Network Germany (RND) wrote on Aug. 20.

In an article for the RND expert for the Balkans Alexander Rotert recalls the words of praise that President Aleksandar, Interior Minister Ivica Dacic and Belgrade Mayor Aleksandar Sapic recently had for convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic. "The European Commission is not saying anything about this. Why? Because it sees Vucic as a guarantee of stability in the Balkans, and Serbia, as the largest country in the Western Balkans, 'too big for failure'," Rotert says.

The German expert added that the EC was thereby giving Vucic "carte blanche to act with increasing extremism internally and in the sphere of foreign policy, under the condition that he does not start a direct military aggression against [Serbia's] neighbors." The European Commission, Rotert says, is in a dilemma, as it has been trying to tie Serbia to itself with billions in aid and expedited negotiations, but this is not working.

"Belgrade gladly receives aid from the EU but at the same time is sliding in the direction of Moscow and especially Beijing," Roteret says, adding that Serbia has close intelligence ties to Russia and close economic relations with China. Even a  recent visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Belgrade does not change the fact that Serbia has not joined the EU's sanctions against Russia, which is one of the main criteria for membership in the EU.