Three’s a Crowd: The EU-Serbia-Russia Triangle

Tue. February 7th, 2023
Live Online

Serbia, an EU accession frontrunner in the Western Balkans, has strengthened economic and political ties with the EU. Yet Belgrade and Moscow remain close, with polls suggesting that most Serbs blame the West for the war in Ukraine and see Russia as a reliable partner.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić would like to continue benefiting from the EU’s support while maintaining ties with the Kremlin. However, mounting pressure to join Western sanctions against Russia and the economic toll of the war may force Serbia to come off the fence.

Carnegie Europe is pleased to invite you to an online event on the future of Serbia with Dimitar Bechev, author of the article “Hedging Its Bets: Serbia Between Russia and the EU.” Bechev will be joined by Jelena Džankić and Sonja Licht. Rosa Balfour will moderate.

This event is part of Europe’s East, a Carnegie Europe project on European policy toward Eastern Europe and Russia.

To submit a question for the event, please use the YouTube chat, email brussels@ceip.org, or tweet us at @Carnegie_Europe.

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
event speakers

Dimitar Bechev

Senior Fellow, Carnegie Europe

Bechev is a senior fellow at Carnegie Europe, where he focuses on EU enlargement, the Western Balkans, and Eastern Europe.

Jelena Džankić

Jelena Džankić is director of the Global Governance Program Southeastern Europe and co-director of the Global Citizenship Observatory at the Robert Schuman Centre of the European University Institute.

Sonja Licht

Sonja Licht is president of the Foundation BFPE for a Responsible Society. She was a 2015 Richard von Weizsacker fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy and is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Pro Merit Medal of the Council of Europe.

Rosa Balfour

Director, Carnegie Europe

Rosa Balfour is director of Carnegie Europe. Her fields of expertise include European politics, institutions, and foreign and security policy. Her current research focuses on the relationship between domestic politics and Europe’s global role. Previously, Balfour was a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. She was also director of the Europe in the World program at the European Policy Centre in Brussels and has worked as a researcher in Rome and London. She holds a PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science.