Balkan Support for EU Accession High, Except in Serbia – Survey

Support for Serbia’s fence-sitting

Amid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, opinion in Serbia continues to support a geopolitical balancing act; 31 per cent said they supported a course that treats the West and Russia equally, while 27 per cent said they favour a pro-Russian approach that would nevertheless “keep up” relations with the EU and the West.

In contrast, more than 80 per cent in Kosovo and Albania said they favoured a solely pro-EU, pro-Western foreign policy. The same course is supported by more than 30 per cent in Bosnia, Montenegro and North Macedonia.

In Montenegro and North Macedonia, roughly 20 per cent said they support the West and Russia equally, reflecting growing frustration with the EU accession process.

A majority of respondents in Kosovo, Albania and North Macedonia said full NATO membership would best serve the interests of their country, with the latter two already members. In Bosnia, half of respondents answered the same.

Support for NATO membership is lower in Serbia and Montenegro, which were bombed by the Western military alliance in 1999 during the Kosovo war. In Serbia alone, a majority of respondents said they view NATO’s role in the world as negative.

In Serbia and North Macedonia, doubts over the sincerity of the EU in offering accession are widespread; Serbia’s membership prospects are deeply intertwined with efforts to resolve relations with its former southern province of Kosovo, while scepticism is high in North Macedonia after the country changed its name to satisfy Greece, only for Bulgaria to threw up a new roadblock with a dispute over history, language and identity.

Vucic and Kurti most trusted

In terms of individuals, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti enjoy the most trust out of the region’s leaders.

In Serbia, 38 per cent named Vucic when asked which politician or public person they trusted the most.

In Kosovo, 36 per cent named Kurti, while Prime Minister Edi Rama was picked by only 14 per cent of Albanians and Prime Minister Milojko Spajic by 11 per cent of respondents in Montenegro.

Only in North Macedonia did an opposition leader come out top – Hristijan Mickoski of the right-wing VMRO-DPMNE, with 11 per cent. Mickoski’s party is poised to take power having won elections in early May.

In all six states, almost 70 per cent of respondents described the state of the economy as bad or somewhat bad; the most important issues that respondents said their governments should prioritise were the economy, the cost of living, unemployment and corruption.