Running header: EU RELATIONSHIP WITH SERBIA 1

EU Relationship with Serbia

Name

Institution
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Introduction

Currently, the European Union consists of a total of 28-member countries. It was founded

in 1957 as the European Economic Community and was made up of six states, namely Germany,

Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Italy, and the Netherlands. In 1973, the United Kingdom,

Ireland, and Denmark joined the EU bringing the total number of members to nine. In 1981,

Greece joined the organization having satisfied some of the preconditions, among them

democracy. Further, in 1986, Spain and Portugal became member states. The European Union

was founded in 1993 when the Maastricht Treaty was adopted. In 1995, Austria, Sweden, and

Finland joined, thereby bringing the total number to 15. At this point, the EU covered the

western part of Europe. In 2004, the largest enlargement of the organization happened when 10

additional countries joined. In 2004, Bulgaria and Romania then joined raising the number of

members to 27. Croatia became the last nation to be included in the membership list when it

joined in 2013 (European Commission, 2017).

It is important to note, however, that some countries, such as the Western Balkan nations,

Albania, Montenegro, and Turkey, among others, have constantly been applying to join the EU

but their applications have never been successful (European Commission, 2017). The application

process involves negotiations whereby each eligible candidate is assessed to ascertain its

willingness to apply the EU policies in addition to an assessment of the transition period that

each country has requested. Each of the 35 chapters that constitute the EU standards and

legislation is negotiated. Membership is subject to a nation’s commitment to adhere to every

section of these laws and policies. Notably, Serbia has been part of this negotiation process for a

period of 10 years (Timsit, 2019). As such, this paper seeks to identify the reasons behind this
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delay and the conditions that the country should satisfy before joining. Additionally, it will also

probe whether Serbia may have missed a chance of becoming a member and the probability that

it could join in the near future.

The European Union

As stated earlier, the EU currently has 28 members. Membership is subject to the

adherence to certain conditions and approval is, therefore, based on a country’s willingness to

play the role of an EU member. The conditions that ensure approval include complying with the

EU laws and standards, having the consent of the citizens (through the action of the national

parliament or referendum), and the endorsement by existing member states. Additionally, a

nation should be respectful of the democratic values that the EU espouses and should also

promote them. This condition is encapsulated in the Treaty on the European Union and was

clearly seen with regards to Greece’s accession in 1981 whose eligibility came after the military

regime was overthrown in 1974 and democracy was restored.

Additional conditions are detailed under the Copenhagen criteria which include the fact

that a country should have stable institutions which safeguard the rule of law, democracy, and

human rights. Also, the nation should have a functional market economy that is perfectly capable

of coping with the market forces that will arise from being part of the EU. Furthermore, the

country should demonstrate that it will effectively implement the requirements of being a

member. It is important to note that for Western Balkan nations, of which Serbia is part, the EU

has a set of additional conditions dubbed the Stabilization and Association Process (SAP). Other

nations include Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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SAP was established in June 1999 and was further strengthened in June 2003 at the

Thessaloniki Summit. It is anchored on four pillars, namely contractual relationships, regional

cooperation, financial assistance, and trade relations. The first condition rests on agreements

which are adapted to the specific situation of each of the candidate countries. The Stabilization

and Association Agreement (SAA) forms the “basis for the implementation of the accession

process.” The trade relations which came into force in 2000 have seen the Western Balkan

countries export goods freely into the EU. Nonetheless, this free trade is performed on a

contractual basis and is guided by the SAA (European Commission, 2016).

Serbia and the EU

Serbia has been stuck in the application process aimed at facilitating its accession for the

past 10 years. It first applied for the candidate country status in 2009 which was then granted in

2012 (Timsit, 2019). In 2014, the initial Intergovernmental Conference was held marking the

beginning of the nation’s accession negotiations. Such negotiations entail discussing each of the

35 chapters of the EU law. In 2014, the screening process focusing on Chapter 27, which is

focused on the environment, started and the resultant report was adopted in 2016. The country’s

president was then invited to state his government’s position on this part of the law (European

Commission, 2019). However, despite these developments, the Balkan candidate countries

complain that the process is too slow and that the conditions set for membership are too rigid

(Timsit, 2019).

Nonetheless, over the past two years, the EU has been increasingly open to the idea of

taking new members from this region. In 2018, it released an enhanced strategy which

documented this plan but it would be finalized by 2025. Serbia alongside Montenegro are the
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two most likely candidates to become members. This delay, according to observers, signals the

EU’s reluctance to embrace the Balkan countries. The citizens of these nations are positive that

becoming members will bolster their economies, streamline their governments, and support their

countries’ quest for democracy. When Jean-Claude Junker became the president of the European

Commission in 2014, he announced a freeze of the EU’s expansion over the subsequent five

years. Although his declaration directly affected candidate countries’ prospects of joining the

organization, it was considered symbolic given that none of them would be eligible to join in just

five years. The process takes more than a decade to be successfully finalized.

The Balkan Region

However, according to analysts, such a move would threaten the stability and progress

that the Balkan countries have witnessed over the years, further preventing them from being

eligible members. There are several concerns that the delay brings to the fore. These include the

fact that the Balkan region is highly volatile given deep economic frustrations and the

hopelessness that surrounds finally being admitted as members of the EU. There is also a high

likelihood that the region may plunge into chaos. For instance, in 2015, ethnic tensions and

political unrest flared in Macedonia further highlighting to European politicians the dangers

associated with neglecting the region. The EU had to intervene to quell the tension by brokering

a deal that ensured all the parties were satisfied (Ames, 2015).

In Bosnia, the political arena has been marred by religious and ethnic divisions over a

period of 20 years. Additionally, Kosovo has not experienced any economic development for

more than 10 years after gaining independence from Serbia. As a result, Kosovars have sought

asylum in the EU so as to escape unemployment. Unlike its neighbors, Serbia’s prospects are
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bright. Notably, the Western European nations shunned the country because of its involvement in

the Yugoslav wars (Ames, 2015). This has since changed as exemplified by the fact that Serbia is

currently an EU candidate country.

Notably, a poll held in 2015 showed that 60% of Serbs want to be part of the EU and this

signifies the high regards with which the organization is held. The benefits of joining the EU are

immense. For instance, the Polish government noted that joining the EU increased the rate of

employment, the average wages for the workers, and also increased the rate of economic growth.

The other nations within the EU also benefited from Poland’s membership. For instance, in

2014, Germany exported $53 billion, a figure which accounted for more than the trade figures

recorded for Japan, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and India combined. Also, the open border policy

which allows for free movement of people from EU nations led to an increase in Great Britain’s

tax revenues. The migrant workers from eastern Europe contributed $8 billion over a period of

10 years (Ames, 2015). As such, the benefits of new membership are immense for both existing

and new members. However, the reluctance to allow new members to join is palpable.

Opponents of new membership opine that the additional countries would negatively influence

their respective economies by brining about unfair competition by attracting investment (Ames,

2015).

Serbia’s Prospects

Despite the delays, Serbia is still committed to joining the EU. In mid-2019, the

Intergovernmental Conference which involved discussions of a new chapter (nine) was held. The

aim of the discussions was to bring about harmonization of the Serbian financial services system

with that of the EU. Additional developments included the provision of assistance amounting to
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180 million euros which would aid the country to improve various sectors of its economy. In

December 2018, the two entities begun talks on the economic and monetary policy chapter and

the National Bank of Serbia (NBS) has been on the forefront in leading the discussions. By June

2019, officials from the central bank noted that they had achieved a satisfactory degree of

alignment with the EU requirements for the financial field and that the country was prepared for

additional talks with regards to this subject. It is, however, worth noting that although the EU has

opened 17 out of the 35 chapters with Serbia since the beginning of the negotiation process, only

five have been completed (Istrate, 2019). These statistics further lend credit to the fact that the

accession process is slow.

Serbia’s prospects are further strengthened by the general consensus among European

leader. Notably, Russia and China have been exerting their influence on the Balkan nations and

there is a fear that they might continue gaining a strong foothold in Europe through their ties

with the western European nations (Timsit, 2019). Such a development would give them more

power in the global stage and, therefore, threaten the significance of the EU. Serbia relies on

Russia for its energy needs and also provides key loans. It is worth noting that Russia’s approach

is likely to cause destabilization since it gains its influence through local communities who then

shake the foundations of the fragile political units (Ames, 2015). Russia, therefore, creates

dependencies both politically and economically through the resultant ethnic tensions, thereby

weakening the European influence in the long-run. Based on the understanding of Russia’s

threat, Germany and France called for a talk on April 2019 to reassure the Balkan nations of the

EU’s commitment towards their membership. However, following the meetings, the leaders

complained that nothing concrete came from the talks (Timsit, 2019).
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Despite the EU’s willingness to be inclusive, there are some external factors which have

also delayed the process besides the procedural aspects. For instance, there are eight unresolved

border disputes affecting the Balkan nations which resulted from the dissolution of Yugoslavia.

Additionally, the unresolved tension between Serbia and Kosovo is also holding back the region.

It is worth noting that although the latter gained independence from the former in 2008, Serbia

does not recognize Kosovo as an independent nation and this has escalated tension which has

spilled into the economic relations of the two countries. Also, existing EU members are not in

agreement as to whether the Balkan nations are ready to join the bloc given that the governments

have been blamed for authoritarianism and corruption.

Nonetheless, observers claim that the candidate countries must persevere the long

accession process because joining the EU makes strategic sense. This is based on the fact that the

bloc constitutes the Balkan nations’ largest trading partner. Also, the European Bank for

Reconstruction and Development also committed to investing €1.1 billion into the region

(Timsit, 2019). In this regard, these benefits in addition to those discussed above make the wait

worthwhile. Therefore, provided Serbs exercise patience, they are likely to be members of the

EU particularly because they are the preferred candidate alongside Montenegro. Moreover, they

must demonstrate their willingness to align their systems in accordance with the directives of the

European Union.

Conclusion

Evidently, the process of joining the EU is long and takes an average of 10 years. Serbia

applied for the candidate status in 2009 but this was only approved three years later. Since then it

has been engaging in talks with the EU in what is dubbed the Intergovernmental Conference in
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which negotiations are held. These meetings involve discussions of the progress a country has

made towards the adherence to the EU standards and laws. They are carried out based on

chapters. So far 17 out of 35 chapters have been opened but, of these, only five have been

completed. Nevertheless, the benefits that await Serbia upon the conclusion of the talks outweigh

the delays that are attributed to the procedures. It is worth noting, however, that factors such as

border disputes and the tension between Kosovo and Serbia contribute to the delay as they give

rise to doubts as to whether the Balkan nations are ready to be part of the EU. Additionally,

Russia poses a threat against the influence of the European bloc and this has incentivized some

of the nations to campaign for the inclusion of the Balkan states. As a result of this imminent

threat, Germany and France supported talks focusing on the region but nothing concrete was

achieved at the end of the meeting held on April 2019.

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References

Ames, P. (2015). There’s a line of Balkan countries waiting to join the EU — and they’re getting

impatient. Retrieved 16 September 2019, from https://www.pri.org/stories/2015-06-

22/there-s-line-balkan-countries-waiting-join-eu-and-they-re-getting-impatient

European Commission. (2016). Stabilization and Association Process. Retrieved 16 September

2019, from https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-

enlargement/policy/glossary/terms/sap_en

European Commission. (2017). From 6 to 28 members. Retrieved 16 September 2019, from

https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/policy/from-6-to-28-members_en

European Commission. (2019). Candidate Countries - Enlargement. Retrieved 16 September

2019, from https://ec.europa.eu/environment/enlarg/candidates.htm

Istrate, D. (2019). Serbia opens new chapter in EU accession talks - Emerging Europe | News,

Intelligence, Community. Retrieved 16 September 2019, from https://emerging-

europe.com/news/serbia-opens-new-chapter-in-eu-accession-talks/

Timsit, A. (2019). The European Union’s future members are losing patience. Retrieved 16

September 2019, from https://qz.com/1610705/western-balkan-nations-are-tired-of-

waiting-to-join-the-eu/