The EU has warned that Chinese companies and banks fuel corruption in the already volatile Western Balkans because they make state-to-state deals without competition. Surveys show only about 30-35% of those questioned now support joining the EU, compared to 57% from a government survey last year.ĮU estimates for Chinese investments in Serbia up through 2021 amounted to 10.3 billion euros.Ĭhinese companies have been involved in building roads, bridges and other major infrastructure projects in Europe and elsewhere that are financed through Chinese loans. “We want to count on you, on Serbia, as a reliable partner.”ĭespite EU aid, recent surveys have suggested that support for Serbia’s EU integration has dropped since the start of the war in Ukraine. “Joining the European Union in the very end means sharing the same values, having the same directions in the geopolitical decisions,” she said, speaking next to Vucic. Von der Leyen said Serbia is one of the most advanced countries on the European path but insisted on the importance of adhering to the EU’s foreign policy. “Serbia needs to step up its efforts in aligning with the EU positions,” said EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi. Serbia’s line with Moscow irks the bloc most, especially since Vucic has refused to join Western sanctions against Russia. That has turned several Balkan nations into EU sceptics. But that promise was somewhat undermined this year when the EU allowed Ukraine into the fast lane as a candidate nation, while progress on membership for Western Balkan nations has largely stalled. For years now, the EU has dangled the prospect of membership, and ensuing prosperity, for the Balkan nations.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |