MISSION STATEMENT

From 15th to 16th of March 2022 a group of young experts from the region in cooperation with a team of the Austrian based think tanks International Institute for Peace, the Karl-Renner-Institut, the Austrian Institute for International Affairs and the Serbian based think tank Belgrade Centre for Security Policy, went to a study trip to Belgrade to meet diplomats, politicians and civil society representatives in order to assess the current political and societal situation.

Serbia is bracing itself for the presidential and parliamentarian elections which will be held in April 2022. With rising authoritarianism and corruption, Serbia is more and more drifting away from its European course. The current President, Aleksandar Vucic, continues to lead the country with his authoritarian and anti-democratic policies which effectively strengthens his position and autocratic rule. The opposition, on the other hand, must deal with low media coverage, unstable cooperation between opposition parties and difficulties in monitoring the election process. Yet, after 10 years of Vucic’s rule in Serbia, it seems that the elections 2022 could bring some change in the political spectrum of Serbia.

The ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine put Serbia in a difficult and rather unwilling geopolitical position – it finds itself sitting on two chairs, the one being the EU-integration process and the other one representing the close historical and in someway political ties with Russia. While the West is condemning and sanctioning Russia, Serbia remained for several days silent. On the 2nd of March it voted in favor of the Ukraine Resolution in the United Nations. Nevertheless, the President Vucic and the government are still refusing to join the EU in their sanctions against Russia. The calculation of Serbian leading politicians is clear: Do not damage the relations with Russia because of the Kosovo issue but try to remain on the road of the EU integration process. This newly emerged crisis puts Serbia in a challenging and dreadful geopolitical position. It seems, that a clear path should be chosen and that the political neutrality is not anymore an option. How will Serbia position itself?

With all the difficulties and challenges Serbia is facing it is important not to give up hope and to look for alternatives.

EVENT

INTERVIEWS

more to come

BLOGS

Featured
Serbian General Elections and its Impact on Serbia’s Geopolitical Positioning
Luka Čekić
Serbian General Elections and its Impact on Serbia’s Geopolitical Positioning
Luka Čekić

On the 3rd of April 2022, Serbian general elections were held. The current ruling parties, SNS and SPS, faced the challenge of securing and legitimizing their rule for the next 4-5 years and for the opposition a slight opportunity emerged to introduce a change in the political atmosphere in Serbia.

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Luka Čekić
BELGRADE - MARCH 2022
Hannes Swoboda
BELGRADE - MARCH 2022
Hannes Swoboda

I don’t know how often I have visited Belgrade, but it has certainly been many times. My first visit – when the country was still governed by President Slobodan Milosevic -- was on behalf of the City of Vienna, where I was active in “cityforeign relations.” The purpose of my visit was to invite representatives from Belgrade to participate in a cooperative project among cities of Southeastern Europe -- from Vienna and Ljubljana to Athens. During this trip, I remember the words my interpreter spoke about the effect of sanctions: “they keep the poor poor, the rich get richer, and the middle class is destroyed.” I still think there is much truth in these words, but -- as in the present case -- I unfortunately do not see an alternative to sanctions.

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Hannes Swoboda