American Balkans expert Edward P. Joseph has stated that Serbia’s ambition to join the European Union is “a performance,” which enables Belgrade to benefit from EU funds, while Brussels is aware of this.
In an interview with the German newspaper Berliner Zeitung, Joseph said that Serbia, thanks to this “charade,” receives financial support from the EU, including funds from the Growth Plan, while at the same time strengthening “strategic partnerships” with Russia and China.
He emphasized that Serbia is not truly moving toward the EU, mentioning as an example the slow progress in negotiations: for 12 years as a candidate country, Serbia has opened 22 out of 35 chapters, while Albania has opened the same number within one year, and Montenegro has managed to close 13 chapters.
“It is ironic that even the EU knows that Belgrade’s course toward it is a performance, but continues to finance the country. In this way, the EU applies double standards,” Joseph said, adding that Belgrade refuses to impose sanctions on Russia and Iran, yet continues to receive support.
He also criticized the state of democracy in Serbia, saying that it should be assessed through the perception of citizens, who do not see a way to express their dissatisfaction through the opposition or the electoral system.
Joseph compared the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vučić, with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, saying that both have built strong systems of autocratic control over more than a decade in power.
According to him, in Serbia there exists a wide network of officials who depend on the ruling party, while a part of the population benefits from the government’s economic policies.
Speaking about the possibility of “maidan-type” protests, he said that serious analysts should avoid this term, as it is used by Belgrade and Moscow to discredit the opposition. He added that real interventions in internal affairs come from Russia and China.
However, Joseph stressed that Serbia has no other alternative except the European Union, adding that it “cannot become the Belarus of Europe.”
He suggested that the United States, the EU, and NATO should use their influence to force Belgrade to clearly choose its strategic orientation, adding that Kosovo’s progress toward NATO would force Serbia to face reality.
Joseph also criticized Serbia for allowing Russian media such as RT and Sputnik, accusing them of spreading anti-European propaganda in the region.
According to him, the progress of Montenegro represents a challenge for Belgrade, as it highlights the differences in strategic orientation and the cost of a policy of balancing between the West, Russia, and China.
