Thewesternbalkans.
According to different sources on 25 of March Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić visited Brussels and met Antonio Costa and Ursula von der Leyen as part of a broader diplomatic push to strengthen Serbia’s ties with Western partners amid mounting domestic unrest.
The meetings followed a previous round of talks on March 19, when Aleksandar Vučić met Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte and EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos.
“The conversation in Brussels with European officials was cordial, substantive and open. The key topic was Serbia’s European future, and I said that Serbia will be absolutely committed to that goal,” Vučić said following the talks.
Despite Serbia’s strong ties with Moscow, including its opposition to Western sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, the country maintains that EU membership remains its primary goal.
In this connection, Serbia’s Parliamentary Speaker Ana Brnabič spoke of the significance of the Brussels talks, describing the meeting as “decisive” for Serbia’s European path. “I think ‘decisive’ is the right word to define the importance of this meeting, primarily because President Aleksandar Vučić is meeting today with two of the most powerful and influential people in the EU,” she said.
The meetings came on the heels of months of anti-government protests in Serbia. Vučić addressed concerns over the alleged use of sound cannons to disperse crowds during the largest demonstration on March 15.
“I told my hosts that there was no sound cannon, that we are ready to check it in every way, that we will also provide an answer to the European Court of Human Rights, regardless of the fact that it is not prohibited for use anywhere in Europe,” Vučić said.
The EU’s silence on the issue has attracted criticism, with some accusing Brussels of prioritising economic interests — such as access to Serbia’s lithium resources — over democratic values. Some fear that Brussels may be too comfortable with Vučić’s “stabilitocracy”, a term critics use to describe his autocratic style of governance, which they claim suppresses opposition and curtails media freedom in exchange for political and economic stability.
Following the dinner meting with Vučić on March 25, von der Leyen seemingly broke the bloc’s silence. She wrote on X that Serbia “needs to deliver on EU reforms, in particular to take decisive steps towards media freedom, the fight against corruption and the electoral reform.”
Comments: The EU is Serbia’s most important economic partner, with foreign direct investment (FDI) from the bloc accounting for more than 59% of total inflows from 2010 to 2022. The EU is also Serbia’s most important trade partner.
Serbia has long maintained its foreign policy balanced. Serbia has cultivated relationships with key global players such as Russia, China, the US, Turkey and the UAE, while keeping strong ties with the EU.
In this context, the President of Serbia Vučić made a particularly important visit, which at the moment cemented him in power, despite attempts to discredit and overthrow him. The very fact that von der Leyen and Antonio Costa met with him and invited him to dinner clearly gives a signal who in Belgrade is supported by Brussels.
At the moment, however, it has not become clear why the Serbian president had to make two visits to the European capital in less than a week to meet with European leaders. Still, his tenacity deserves attention.
