Fierce opposition in Serbia and renewed scrutiny from Brussels challenged
the president’s latest economic proposal.
Aleksandar Vučić, the president of Serbia, has defended his
leadership in the face of criticism in a recent EU assessment on prospective
bloc members.
The populist leader dismissed Brussels' criticism and domestic demonstrations by highlighting Serbia's economic strengths while speaking at Euronews' EU Enlargement Summit.
“I was facing protests since I became the prime minister in 2014,”
said Vučić.
“But even with that in mind, we have been progressing with good growth rates.”
“I also need to add that public debt dropped when I became prime minister because of how disciplined we were. The public debt-to-GDP is now 43%, half the EU average,”
he continued. According to European Commission data, the
EU's debt-to-GDP ratio was 80.7% in 2024.
S&P upgraded the nation from BB+ to BBB- with a stable outlook in 2024, giving it its first investment-grade rating. As a result, S&P became the first organization to remove Serbia's foreign-currency bonds from bad status.
“We have already received confirmation that 127 countries might participate in that expo,”
said Vučić on Tuesday.
The Balkan country's "Expo 2027" initiative, an exposition meant to draw in foreign investment, was partially responsible for this decision. Numerous construction and infrastructural initiatives are connected to the event.
“Elections will be held before the end of the term (in December 2027)”,
Vučić said during a news conference.
“The exact timing will be decided by the competent institutions.”
Serbia, along with five other Western Balkans countries, was
identified as a potential candidate for EU membership in 2003, and it was
granted EU candidate status in 2012.
Also speaking at Euronews’ summit on Tuesday, Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said that despite some “backsliding” in Serbia:
“I'm happy that all the protests since November last year have shown that there is democratic potential and that people want to go down this democratic route.”
How has Brussels formally responded to the president's economic pitch?
Brussels has formally responded to the chairman's profitable
pitch with significant caution and review, emphasizing the need for ongoing
accommodations and medication for implicit retaliatory measures.
The European Union has expressed concern over instigative
tariff assessments and profitable insecurity introduced by the U.S.
administration, pressing the dislocation these beget to trade relations.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stressed
the EU’s commitment to negotiate but also announced plans for counter-tariffs
on nearly $25 billion worth of U.S. goods, prepared to take effect if
necessary. The EU aims to maintain a united front among its member countries
and seek reliable trading hookups amid rising geopolitical unpredictability.