Serbia’s Vucic to FT: What can I do, go on hunger strike outside Berlaymont?

The EU’s decision prompted harsh criticism from both countries, the US and number of the bloc’s high officials.

North Macedonia decided to go for an early vote after the EU broke its promise to Skopje it would get a date after solving the 27-year-old name dispute with Athens in June 2018.

On Wednesday, Vucic indicated the EU could lose the influence it had in the Western Balkans.

“We need to take care of ourselves. That’s the only way, that’s the only approach. Everything else would be very irresponsible,” he told the FT, advocating the improvement of the regional cooperation.

Belgrade, Tirana and Skopje have signed a declaration on the so-called mini-Schengen.

Vucic told the FT Serbia was ready to go further and  synchronise investment incentives with Albania and North Macedonia as well as value-added tax rates, which, according to him, would create a 12 million people strong market.

He said the Western Balkans countries “now see that we have to turn to ourselves firstly, of course staying firmly on our EU path, but not waiting for charity from anyone.”

Besides, Serbia will on Friday sign a free trade deal with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) a customs union comprising Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan, in a move Brussels had already cautioned Belgrade about.

Vucic told the FT that “we cannot be dependent on the next decision of the European Council, or whether the Dutch government will decide this way or another way, or the Danish government will do something different than we expected.”

“What can I do, cry and [go on] hunger strike in [front of the] Berlaymont (the European Commission HQ in Brussels)?” he asked in the interview with the FT.