Swedish Ambassador: We will continue to help Serbia advance on its EU path

Anika Ben David
Tanjug/Vladimir Šporčić

The European Union (EU) – Western Balkans summit in Tirana demonstrated that the EU is readier than ever to again focus on the Western Balkans countries’ EU prospects, Swedish Ambassador to Belgrade Annika Ben David said in an interview with Novi Magazin. She stressed that the issue of Kosovo and that of aligning with EU’s foreign policy “are absolutely the key elements of Serbia’s path to the EU.”

“I think the EU’s message was never clearer than that sent from Tirana, saying that we should provide the opportunity for the countries that want to join to do so. We need to intensify our engagement in the Western Balkans countries, but, at the same time – the standards are there and we have to preserve the integrity of those fundamental principles in the EU – the rule of law, democracy, human rights, fight against organized crime and corruption,” said the Ambassador.

She said the EU will continue to help Serbia and other countries advance on their European path, noting that the EU is Serbia’s biggest investor, trade partner and donor.

“Every year the EU donates 200 million euros of its tax payers’ money. Sweden is the third biggest donor in Serbia, and we are a small county. And all this assistance, investments and trade are not only aimed at improving the quality of life in Serbia but also at bringing Serbia closer to the EU because we need Serbia and we believe it has a place in Europe and in the EU. We are certain the EU can offer Serbia the best possible future for the people living in it and in the Western Balkans in terms of democracy, freedom, safety, economic prosperity,” said Annika Ben David.

The Swedish Ambassador said the issues of Kosovo and of Serbia’s alignment with EU’s foreign policy “are absolutely the key elements of Serbia’s path to the EU.”

“Alignment with EU’s foreign policy is a requirement for all candidate countries. When a country becomes a member there must be a one hundred percent alignment. Serbia is now the only country in which alignment is regressing and is incomplete. I would say that this is not a technical issue,” said the Ambassador.

“We are talking about a historical crossroads, a tectonic turnaround we are witnessing in Europe because of Russia’s war against Ukraine,” she said.

“This is a decisive, critical turnaround for the world and it is important for the candidate countries to be on the right side of history. This war is not a war against one country, but against values, against the established order of international cooperation. If Russia were to win this war, it would not stop there. That is why it is important, for the freedom of us all, for us to take a stand,” said Annika Ben David.

“Regarding Kosovo, we just came out of a recent, and probably not the last crisis in relations between Belgrade and Pristina. The EU is constantly working on the implementation of the 2013 Brussels Agreement. The normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina, led by Brussels, is the only way forward. We are grateful for the full cooperation between the EU and US,” said the Ambassador, stressing that the most important thing is for all previous agreements to be honored and implemented, including the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities in Kosovo.

„I think that the arrival of so many representatives and envoys and the engagement of the US, EU, France and Germany shows how important it is to not have new instability in Europe, in the Western Balkans. That is what we need the least. Instability can be used by some other party and that would distance Serbia from the European path. New instability would be harmful for Belgrade and for Pristina and for all of us. That is why it is now important that we work together, to mobilize together to help the parties move forward,“ said Ambassador Annika Ben David.