Serbia's EU ambitions set for 2027 amidst international disputes

Serbia remains focused on its path to the European Union and will be fully ready for accession by 2027, Serbia's Foreign Minister Marko Đurić said on Wednesday.

"Serbia will complete all essential reforms—political, institutional, economic, and legal—by 2027. And it will be ready to become part of the European family," Đurić said in an interview with the Italian agency Nova.

He emphasized that full membership also means "complete and equal access to electoral rights and decision-making processes" within the EU and shared duties and responsibilities.

Đurić added that Belgrade has been closely monitoring the results of the European Parliament elections and that its new composition is an opportunity to "build a network of friends." The politician hoped that the expansion process to include the Western Balkans would become a focus of European institutions.

When asked about the refusal to join the sanctions imposed on Russia, the Serbian government representative recalled that "Serbia has voted for all UN resolutions in favor of Ukraine's territorial integrity since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. Serbia is committed to peace and a ceasefire. We try to express solidarity with the Ukrainian people: we understand their suffering well, as we had to face difficult times ourselves in the 1990s..."

On Tuesday, opposing the EU's position, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić congratulated Nicolás Maduro on winning the presidential elections in Venezuela. Josep Borrell, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, said that day in a statement that until the voting protocols are made public and verified, the announced results of the elections in Venezuela "cannot be recognized."

The Venezuelan electoral commission announced that the incumbent President, Nicolás Maduro, won Sunday's presidential election with 51.2%. Since the results were announced, there have been violent demonstrations and clashes with the police in the country.