Strategic challenges for Serbia’s integration with the European Union

Abstract

Serbia began the process of integration with the European Union in 2003. After eleven years on a difficult road to the transformation of political and constitutional contexts, Serbia gained the chance to become a member of the Community. On the path to accession to the European Union, Serbia had to resolve some strategic challenges, of which the main one is the problem of regulating the political status of Kosovo. The aim of this article is to indicate the position of Serbia and Kosovo’s Albanians regarding the dispute over the political status of Kosovo, as well as examine the process of normalisation of relations between Serbia and Kosovo as a key mechanism for resolving the dispute. The challenges emerging for Serbia as a result of the negotiation process will be covered. The new dimension of Serbia’s cooperation with Russia will also be analysed as one of the factors which may have a significant impact on the further dynamics of the process of Serbia’s integration with the European Union.