Vucic to Bloomberg: Serbia Stays on EU Path, But Cannot Wait Forever
In an interview with Bloomberg, the Serbian president says the country remains committed to the EU but must also look after its own economic interest.
- In a Bloomberg interview, Vucic says Serbia stays on its EU path but cannot wait indefinitely for membership.
- The president claims he secured over one billion dollars in new investments during a visit to China.
- He asked the EU to admit Serbia into Schengen and rejected imposing visas on Russian citizens.
- Analysts read the remarks as a continuation of Serbia's balancing act between West and East.
Aleksandar Vucic, the president of Serbia, gave an interview to the American outlet Bloomberg, published on June 2, in which he drew a line Belgrade has defended for years: the country remains committed to European Union membership, but it cannot wait forever. The president said Serbia continues to meet its obligations on the European path while at the same time it must look after its own economic interest.
The message arrived at a moment when the EU enlargement process is moving slowly, and Belgrade is increasingly demanding concrete steps rather than vague promises. In the same conversation, Vucic highlighted Chinese investment as proof that Serbia is not standing still and waiting, but is working on its economy regardless of the pace of talks with Brussels. Bloomberg itself framed the interview with a headline suggesting that China is overshadowing Europe, which sharpened the tone of the exchange.
What exactly is the president asking of Brussels?
Vucic laid out several concrete demands and assessments. The first is that Serbia remains committed to the reforms and obligations of the negotiating framework, but expects that effort to be recognized. The second is that Belgrade cannot accept membership remaining an undefined point on the horizon while its economy has to function here and now.
Specifically, during the conversation the president:
- Asked the European Union to admit Serbia into the Schengen zone, as a practical step that would ease the movement of people and goods.
- Rejected the possibility of imposing visas on Russian citizens, one of the points where Belgrade and Brussels do not agree.
- Stressed that Serbia continues to fulfill its commitments, but must look after its own interest.
Serbia continues to meet its obligations on the European path, but it must also look after its own interest.
With that, the president repeated a formula he has used for some time: the commitment to the EU is not in question, but it must not become an excuse for economic waiting.
The billion-dollar Chinese card
A central place in the interview was taken by the visit to China, from which, the president claims, Serbia returned with over one billion dollars in new investment. Vucic presented that figure as proof that Belgrade has alternative directions for economic growth and does not depend solely on the dynamics of European integration.
It is precisely for this reason that some analysts see in the whole appearance a familiar pattern of Serbian foreign policy, a balancing act between West and East. Belgrade keeps its declarative European commitment while building economic and political ties with Beijing in parallel, and declines to follow some of the moves Brussels expects, such as aligning its visa policy toward Russia.
In the conversation, the president also advocated an open, modern economy, presenting Serbia as a country ready to attract capital from several directions. The only question is whether such an approach will speed up the road to Brussels or, on the contrary, deepen tensions over where Serbia really stands.
Can Serbia simultaneously accelerate its European integration and build ever deeper economic ties with China, or will it at some point have to choose clearly?
