Has Vučić made his choice? Can the EU or the BRICS only choose one or the other? Serbia joins the EU?

On April 30, 2024, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic solemnly announced in a high-profile media interview that Serbia has decided to renounce its candidacy to become a member of the BRICS in order to fully seek membership in the European Union (EU). This decision not only marks a major strategic realignment of Serbia in the international arena, but also reflects its thoughtful thinking about the country's future development path.

In his speech, President Vučić made it clear that EU membership has always been a core goal of Serbia's foreign policy, and he believes that it is the only way to achieve national prosperity and sustainable economic development. He stressed that the EU, as a highly integrated political and economic association, can provide Serbia with a broader market, richer resources and a stronger international influence.

In order to avoid misunderstandings about his decision, President Vučić also added that although Serbia has chosen the path of joining the European Union, this does not mean that cooperation with the BRICS countries is completely ruled out. He predicts that as the BRICS continues to grow, more countries will want to join it in the future, and Serbia may also become one of them at some point in the future. However, based on the current realities, he believes that joining the EU would be more beneficial for Serbia.

This decision has aroused widespread concern and heated discussions in the international community. Especially against the backdrop of the planned visit of the Chinese leader to Serbia, President Vučić's statement has undoubtedly added a new focus to the international public opinion arena. There has been much speculation about whether this decision is a hidden concern for Serbia's reorientation of Sino-European relations or its own geopolitical interests.

From the point of view of Serbia as a European country, it is not difficult for us to understand President Vučić's decision. The European integration process has brought unprecedented development opportunities and space for cooperation among member states, and Serbia, as part of Europe, naturally wants to be part of this process. At the same time, with the rise of the BRICS countries and the increase in influence, Serbia also sees the potential and opportunities for cooperation with these emerging market countries. However, after weighing the pros and cons, President Vučić chose to make EU membership the country's top strategic goal.

Delving into Serbia's geopolitical context, it is not difficult to see that the Vučić government's motives for this decision were not unfounded. In fact, it is generally accepted that geography is a cornerstone of a country's strategic choices. Serbia's geographical part of the European continent has undoubtedly put a heavy strain on Vučić's government as its neighbors join the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as Serbia stands alone.

Imagine the inner struggle and pain of Serbia when the neighboring countries are stepping into a closer framework of international cooperation, and Serbia can only stand by and watch. This geographical disadvantage has made Serbia face great challenges and dilemmas in its quest for international cooperation and integration into the international system.

The decisive influence of this geographical factor on strategic choices puts Serbia in an awkward position.

On the one hand, the EU is close at hand, but for various reasons, Serbia is difficult to integrate into; On the other hand, although the BRICS organization offers another possibility, its organizational structure and cooperation mechanisms are relatively loose compared to the EU. This is undoubtedly an issue for Serbia that needs to be carefully considered, and in this context, joining the European Union has become a priority for Serbia's foreign policy.

A closer look at the contrast between the EU and the BRICS in the eyes of Serbia shows that the EU is more attractive to Serbia. The uniqueness of the EU as a political union based on sovereign states lies in the fact that its member states are located within Europe and together build a close network of partnerships. This characteristic makes the EU strategically position itself in stark contrast to the BRICS. BRICS focuses more on macroeconomic and financial policy coordination among emerging market countries, emphasizing dialogue and collaboration among countries.

The European Union, on the other hand, has a broader vision of becoming a political power alongside world-class sovereign powers such as China, the United States, and Russia. Although it will take time for this vision to be realized, Serbia will undoubtedly value the clear direction and potential it has shown.

Although the BRICS, as a multilateral cooperation platform, facilitates the exchange of economic and financial policies among emerging market countries, it lacks the cohesion and influence of a substantive political organization of sovereign states compared to the EU. This essential difference, for Serbia, means that once it joins the EU, it will be able to immediately receive a series of substantial preferential treatment, and is expected to use the EU's platform to promote the prosperity and development of its own enterprises, thereby enhancing Serbia's status and influence in the international arena.

For Serbia, joining the EU is not only an economic choice, but also a strategic one. By joining the European Union, Serbia will be better able to integrate into the process of European integration and achieve long-term prosperity and development of the country.

When you look at the BRICS, despite its BRICS funds and numerous projects, its influence is still limited compared to the EU. Clearly, the benefits of joining the EU are immediate and significant, and that choosing the BRICS may require more investment and effort to achieve similar benefits. In this case, Vučić, as the president of Serbia, must make a trade-off between the two, first joining the EU and then joining the BRICS, so that the two will not delay after all, and both sides will curry favor.

Given that Vučić's current priority is to push Serbia to join the European Union, this may mean that he needs to put aside the consideration of joining the BRICS for the time being, which would not only bring immediate economic benefits to Serbia, but also boost its international standing and political influence. Therefore, Vučić may choose to consider whether to join the BRICS organization in light of the international situation and Serbia's national interests after achieving the goal of joining the European Union. Such a decision-making process may take some time, and may even wait until the next generation of leaders takes office to have a clearer answer.