EU pressure Serbia on sanctions against Russia

The European Union's pressure on Serbia is increasing, due to Belgrade's refusal to support sanctions against Russia, European diplomats say.

From the time Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February, the EU has clearly expressed expectations that Western Balkan countries, aimed at EU integration, support the positions of this bloc, including sanctions against Russia, due to Ukraine's invasion.

Serbia, so far, has ignored these calls, and this, apparently, has raised the anger of some EU member states.

As a result, some diplomatic sources in Brussels say, “practice has also frozen the process of Serbia's EU membership negotiations”.

This testifies even to the fact that, for more than a year, Serbia has not opened or closed any chapter in the negotiations process. To open or close them requires reconciliation of all EU member states. And, some countries, diplomats say, “do not want Serbia to be rewarded with continuing the EU membership process, as if nothing has happened“.

Even the European Parliament, through a resolution on the new enlargement strategy, has called for conditioning Serbia's EU membership negotiations with the support of sanctions against Russia.

Pressure is expected to increase even during December, when a summit of the EU and Western Balkan countries will be held in Tirana.

In the declaration, expected to be adopted there, the call for support of sanctions against Russia will be repeated.

In a draft of the declaration that has seen Radio Free Europe, no named country is mentioned, but is believed to be referring to Serbia, which has not yet supported the European Union's sanctions against Russia.

“As long as we deepen our co-operation with partners, we ask them to make rapid and significant progress towards full compliance with common foreign and security policy, as well as to act accordingly, including with the EU retributive measures“, it says in the draft declaration expected to be adopted at the December 6th summit.

Serbia at that summit, diplomats warn, “will be more or less isolated, as it is the only participating state that has not imposed sanctions on Russia“.

Disillusionment of some EU countries with Serbia is expected to be even clearer in several consensuss that will be approved for the enlargement and stabilisation-asociation process on 13 December by the EU General Affairs Council.

According to a draft of the conclusions that EU countries have prepared, it is expected to express “deep concern“for “ecrecem behind” Serbia has made in adapting its positions to those of the EU, as far as foreign policy and security issues are concerned.

In the draft conflict, the EU expresses “strong welcome” from Serbia to fulfil commitments made under the negotiating framework with the EU, as well as to strengthen its compliance with EU policy, including sanctions against Russia.

It is also expected that this EU council will welcome the fact that Serbia's new government has singled out EU integration as a strategic goal, but that it will be required to be followed even by concrete actions.

In the context of Russia's combat aggression against Ukraine, the council expects Serbia to prove steadfast devotion to the EU and commit to our common principles and values”, the draft-consclus says.

According to diplomatic sources, the European Union does not intend to take formal steps to suspend membership negotiations with Serbia, but is aware that negotiations are unlikely to continue until Serbia joins West sanctions against Russia.

From Serbia, EU countries also expect not to allow the bypass of sanctions against Russia through its territory.

Serbia has been negotiating EU membership for years, but at the same time co-operating with Russia in several areas, including defence. / REL/