site.btaSerbian Foreign Minister Calls on EU to Accelerate Enlargement Process, Open Schengen to Western Balkan Countries

Serbia is calling on the European Union to accelerate the enlargement process and open the Schengen Area to the countries of the Western Balkans as soon as possible, Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Marko Djuric said, as quoted by local media on Wednesday. Following a meeting of EU foreign ministers and ministers from the Western Balkans, Djuric stated that “hard borders cut off the lifeblood of the economy and tourism.” 

“There is no reason for Europe not to unlock the full potential of our region’s inclusion in Schengen this summer, because in our view this would lead to EUR 50 billion in new economic activity without compromising EU security,” Djuric told RTS.

Serbia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs stated that faster integration into the EU is dictated by global circumstances that are “unprecedented.” “There has never been a generation that has simultaneously faced the rise of artificial intelligence, social media, and a complete shift in the geopolitical order. Such rapid changes require the EU to immediately admit into its ranks countries that are not yet members but are on the continent (Europe),” Djuric argued.

The idea of jointly admitting all Western Balkan countries into the EU was proposed by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic at the end of 2025. As a candidate member state, Serbia has so far opened 22 of 35 chapters and closed only two. The last chapter was opened in 2021. In addition, the country faces a suspension of funds from the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans due to a series of controversial amendments to the Judiciary Act that the parliamentary majority adopted without public debate. After the Venice Commission presented nine recommendations to address these revisions, the government began working on new amendments.