BELGRADE, July 8. /TASS/. It is only shrewd politicians in Serbia that want to join the European Union, not its people, the Serbian parliamentary committee on diaspora and Serbs in the region chairman, Dragan Stanojevic, told TASS.
"There has long been an understanding that EU integration has reached a dead end. Even within the ruling party. Unfortunately, [Serbian President Aleksandar] Vucic and the others continue moving in this direction because it’s clear they receive substantial funds and resources, which they manage in Serbia. So, it is more of a personal interest, so to speak," he said. Stanojevic emphasized that the Serbian people have grown disenchanted with the European path and that real support for this course no longer exists. However, parliament does not reflect the people’s will because it "continues to listen to one leader, so this is not officially voiced."
The MP also mentioned the establishment of a BRICS group in parliament, consisting of his party and several like-minded members. "The others have not joined yet - they’re afraid of a backlash from the system, meaning the authorities. But everyone wants to," he stated.
According to Stanojevic, the authorities avoid an open discussion on Serbia’s foreign policy direction, particularly regarding prospects for closer ties with BRICS. "The situation now is that the people want a public referendum: Do you want BRICS or the EU? But the government, naturally, is afraid to do this because it understands that BRICS would receive far more support. That is why they remain silent and avoid any initiatives," the politician concluded.
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, and Montenegro currently hold an official EU candidate status. Brussels is pressuring Serbia to grant the same status to unrecognized Kosovo, which would in reality amount to an official recognition of its independence.
The BRICS group was established in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India and China, with South Africa joining in 2011. On January 1, 2024, Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia became full members of the association. Indonesia joined BRICS on January 6, 2025. On January 1, 2025, Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan officially became BRICS partner states, with Nigeria joining them on January 17, and Vietnam on June 14.
Serbian authorities’ stance on eurointegration
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic acknowledged earlier that public support for EU membership has halved over the past two decades - from 80% to 40%. He stressed that this decline is not due to external actors but to domestic factors. "This is about our own needs, expectations, and disappointments," the president explained.
At the same time, Vucic declared Serbia’s commitment to the European course. However, he sharply responded to the EU representatives’ statements, questioning the sincerity of their intentions and the reliability of European promises. "If they accept us - good. If not - we’ll manage," the Serbian leader remarked.