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Brussels now thinks Serbia should be blackmailed in other ways, since “joining the EU is as realistic as going to Mars.”
Written by Drago Bosnic, independent geopolitical and military analyst
After over two decades of keeping Serbia in a semi-colonial state, the European Union seems to finally admit that it sees the Southeast European country precisely as such – a semi-colony. For approximately 20 years, Brussels played the carrot and stick cards with Belgrade, forcing it to renounce important segments of its sovereignty in return for access to EU funds and markets.
The neoliberal economic framework that the EU insisted on devastated the country’s hybrid market socialist economy and ruined domestic economic power, paving the way for the dominance of foreign investors and turning the country into yet another source of cheap labor for Western corporate interests. However, even while implementing such policies, disastrous for any country’s economic (or any other form of) sovereignty, it created an image of growth.
And yet, the waning economic power of Brussels, resulting primarily from its suicidal subservience to Washington DC’s Barbarossa-like push against Russia, is starting to affect the “carrot” portion of the EU’s policy toward Serbia. Frustrated by the country’s refusal to conform with the political West’s clinically Russophobic frenzy, the bureaucratic empire is now resorting to using the “stick”. With little to nothing left to offer, the EU is now threatening to scale back the benefits it gave Serbia in the last two decades to punish the country for its non-compliance in regards to the bloc’s anti-Russian sanctions and policies. To make matters worse, Brussels insists that Belgrade should still continue renouncing parts of its sovereignty while the EU is rolling back the apparent benefits it previously gave in return.
What does Serbia get from all this? A geopolitically worthless shoulder tap that will not help the country in any conceivable way. On the contrary, it may very well ruin its centuries-old relationship with Russia, a country exerting no pressure on Serbia while helping it preserve what’s left of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. For the political West, now effectively operating under a “you’re either with us or against us” foreign policy framework, Serbia’s neutrality is seen as nothing short of hostile. Belgrade is forced to beg to stay neutral in the Ukraine crisis, but to no avail, it seems. Anything less than full compliance is unacceptable to the imperialist power pole. To show just how much, the EU now considers Serbia’s membership ambitions effectively dead, as the negotiations to join the bloc have become a mere formality, having been stalled for years.
Brussels now thinks Serbia should not be conditioned by the termination of accession negotiations, since “joining the EU is as realistic as going to Mars,” as Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung put it. The analogy is quite indicative of how the bloc sees Serbia’s future and should serve as an eye-opener in Belgrade. Coupled with recent allegations that Serbia is “trying to destabilize the EU at the behest of Russia”, it’s clear that despite how much sovereignty it renounces, how far it’s ready to go against its national interests, the country will never be good enough to join the bloc. The question remains then, what’s the point? Why would Serbia even want to join the EU? It seems the Serbian populace is well aware of this and it’s not so keen on joining either.
The EU now realizes that stopping membership negotiations would effectively mean nothing to the Serbian people. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung thinks that “the warnings about the possible freezing of accession negotiations are a blunt sword against Belgrade,” as the negotiations have been stagnant for years. “Their termination would not leave an impression on the Serbian population, which is critical of the EU anyway. In addition, even among the advocates of the EU in Belgrade, almost no one believes that joining the EU is realistic. Equally, Serbia could be threatened with a ban on access to Mars,” the report states.
However, it’s a different story when it comes to abolishing visa-free travel for Serbian citizens, a topic first mentioned by the European Commissioner for Internal Affairs Ylva Johansson. “It would greatly affect the Serbian economy, as well as the predominantly urban population that travels, as well as the authorities. It is the most lethal weapon in Brussels’ arsenal,” the German paper commented. “If visas were introduced again, that sense of isolation would be like a nightmare again, which first ended when the visas were abolished in 2009. Anger due to a return to the dark times would certainly be directed against the Serbian government,” the report adds.
The previously veiled threats by Brussels seem to have become quite direct at this point, since the EU isn’t just planning to get the “carrot” out of the equation (it effectively did already), but will also not hesitate using the “stick” now. What’s more, the move is openly aimed against Serbia’s political stability, as the EU expects to cause widespread discontent which, in turn, would result in exerting additional pressure on the Serbian government. Belgrade certainly could comply and start distancing itself from Moscow. It might even feign this while coordinating with Russia by implementing policies that would affect quite literally nothing.
For instance, it could impose sanctions on Russian sea shipping (Serbia is landlocked) or ban access to Russian airline companies, which can’t reach Serbia anyway, as the country is surrounded by EU members which already did that. But the question remains, where does it stop? Will the political West ever be content enough to stop blackmailing and threatening the country? It might be politically unwise for the Serbian government to answer that (rhetorical) question, but it certainly isn’t for the Serbian people.
What Romania or Hungary can and would do if Russian airplanes start going to Serbia!? Shot them down?
Russia should crush Ukraine than all this shit will end.
The fate of the EU and the West will be decided on the plains of the so-called Ukraine. There will be a new Limes Russicus erected from East Germany in the North to the Adriatic Sea and Easterm Mediterranean in the South. My message to the West is “Jebem ti picku materinu”. Ziveljo Serbia.
The russian planes launched in the 90s to support serbia in kosovo. Romania and Bulgaria thretened that they will shoot them down and russian planes returned home and handed over the entire balcans to the US.
That was whan nato had far less countries on their side and russia hat some former sovjet allies left.
What do you think will happen now when the numbers are even less in russias favour.
Serbia needs to make a serious decision here. These are the filth that bombed you decades ago and took your heartland from you, remember?
Problem is there have been far too may scum traitors in Serbia,they turned their own people over to that Reich court in the Hague,those bastards should have been shot for that.Mladic got it right he laughed at that kangeroo court and told the judges to fuck off.
And let the terrain contaminated with uranium projectiles that gives cancers today and will painfully kill generations of Serbs for centuries.
Any Serb with any self respect left and that includes Vucic would tell the Euro trash to fuck right off.
You are right sir but you wont find any of those anywhere in power in serbia. The EU and US have put their puppets into these positions.
It is reciprocal , Serbia could require visas and transit visas as well Ursula
This is what’s going to happen for the ridicoulous idiots of ukraine. They’ll get beaten by the (e)urophiles every now and then. We Italians have been treated and will keep on being treated as animals by the fat nazis in Bruxelles and can’t honestly wait anymore for a good jump out of that shit. I have a dream: a 50% tariff on German, Austrian and Dutch goods
Russia refused to help yugoslavia in the 90s. For 20 years russia was to big to important to busy to help all the small countries the US has destroyed. Now the inevitable has happened cause if you refuse to come to the fight then the fight comes to you.
It was then. Yeltsin was in power. Serbs had also frequently fought on the side of the Ottoman armies from 15th to 17th centuries. And now is now. Russia has a completely different leadership. It depends upon Serbs themselves if they will resist or will be bought.
They resisted against the ottomans for centurys. New ottoman Erdogan is a good friend of Putin today.
They followed the panslavic call and stood up and died to the austrains and germans in world war one, while russia left the war with a separate peace so that the bolshevics could kill russians. I have not heard Putin denounce Lenin as of now.
They stood up to the nazis allone and died to the nazis. While Stalin first had his molotov ribentropp pact and then pushed the other allies to abandon the serbs and only support the communists who till the end of the war deliberatly refused to free jasenovac while the croats where killing serbs and jews every day. Then then the red army came they raped like going through a hostile country. I have not heared Putin denounce Stalin as of now.
Serbs should keep a low profile if sanctions are neccesary to not be bombed again then so be it.
Russia forgives it’s enemys far too easy for this to be of any concern.
Last two sentences destroyed your comment. 1389- Serbia defeated, in 1402 fought on Bayazet´s side at Ankara against Tamerlane. 1814 – Kara Djordje defeated by janissaries. Serbia became a semi-independent entity in the mid of the 19th century. Hypothetically, Tito would not have approved quisling-like policies, definitely not after the 1999 bombing.
Then good sir i apologize you are the all knowledgeble. 1389 Serbia defeated alone no allies. 1402 forces to fight on the side by the way against mongols who where worse then ottomans.
Tito was only in it for himself. Gave up ww2 compensation from germany.
Funny. How Serbians knew that Tamerlane was worse than the Ottomans. As for Tito, I admire him. he was a real leader. And the only one true “Yugoslavian”. The rest were nationalists, even those hardcore Marxists.
You admire a man who let people disappear cause off saying the wrong thing? The only thing he was good at was playing both sides. Yugoslavia failed at this as did ukraine. The bets are still off to what result erdogan will get.
Stand fast, Serbia! The redundant, expensive, bureaucratic tyranny known as the EU represents none of us, only the bankers. The EU is not long for this world and will, hopefully, collapse over the coming year.
Join the EUSSR…that foul excUSe for Pentacon’s Natostan in what once was Urupp? Who in their right mind would jump on board the sinking Titanic where every hostage is strung with the rotten albatross of the bankrupt, demented and totally degenerate USSA?
At this stage of total collap$€ the so called West is little more than a Satanic death cult being firebombed by Zombie pedovores intent on burning Slumville and all its vaxxed critters crispy before the neighbors have to do it. When retards and psychopaths are your “leaders”, making less sense than Charley Manson on a bad day, then you know the jig is up.
Meanwhile in the real world Mother Russia is sorting out the last few thousands of imported thugs and hoodlums in evaporating rump Ukraine.
To Odessa.
For once, I agree with that Nuland witch. F#*K the EU.
Chetniks got what they deserved.
You sound like Nazi-Jihadist from SS Handzar division. I bet you want to fight Russians with your Banderite brothers, but lack balls.