Causes of Decline in Support for Joining the European Union in Serbia. Socio-Political Analysis

Abstract

In this article, the author analyzes the support for joining the European Union in Serbia, trying to determine the key causes that influenced the decrease in support for European integration in Serbian society. The main causes of the decline in support for joining the European Union are the long duration of Serbia’s European integration process, insufficient cooperation with the Hague Tribunal, different understanding of the status of Kosovo and Metohija, and cultural factors, which are additionally emphasized by the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Serbia applied for membership in the European Union in December 2009, and received candidate status in March 2012. However, only two of the 35 chapters have been closed so far, so it is clear that Serbia has not advanced far on the path of European integration. This was also contributed to by the stagnation in the admission of new members. After the accession of 10 countries in 2004 and the admission of Romania and Bulgaria in 2007, in the last 16 years only Croatia has become a member. The reason the decline in support for European integration occurred is mainly due to the weakening of the soft power of the European Union and the reduction of its internal cohesion. In public opinion polls which were conducted during the last few years, one of the reasons for the decline in support for the European Union is the prevailing attitude of Serbian citizens that in the process of accession to the European Union it will be necessary for Serbia to recognize Kosovo and Metohija as an independent state. According to the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia, Kosovo and Metohija are an integral part of Serbia. However, 22 members of the European Union recognize Kosovo as an independent state. Even within the European Union there is no agreement regarding the status of Kosovo and Metohija, due to the fact that five member states (Greece, Cyprus, Spain, Romania and Slovakia) consider Kosovo and Metohija to be an integral part of Serbia. The current military conflict between Russia and Ukraine has opened up a whole range of international and domestic policy issues in many countries. In Serbia, the Russophile ideology is present among the majority of the population as part of the tradition. This is why the pressures of the United States of America and the European Union for Serbia to introduce sanctions against Russia also affect the decline in support for European integration. Supporters of Russia in the military conflict with Ukraine emphasize the cultural reasons for support, which are manifested through the common Slavic origin, the Orthodox faith and the historical closeness of the Serbian and Russian people.