Transactional stability in the Balkans leaves Europe vulnerable

For over a decade, European policymakers treated Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić as an indispensable partner for maintaining calm in the Western Balkans. That approach reached its limit this week when a landslide election victory for the Serbian opposition ousted his government. International monitors, including Luxembourg lawmakers Gilles Baum and Claude Haagen, observed the vote as Serbian electors turned out to reset their political direction.

To be sure, European diplomats had understandable reasons for cooperating closely with Vučić. Securing regional stability, managing migration routes, and seeking strategic alignment are routine goals of continental foreign policy. Working with whoever holds power in a neighbouring capital is often seen as the pragmatic path.

Yet trading democratic standards for short-term quiet is a false economy. By treating one leader as indispensable and overlooking institutional erosion, the European Union weakened its political standing in Serbia. Brussels now faces the complex task of building working relations with a deeply sceptical incoming administration.

Europe can secure its neighbourhood far better when enlargement rests on steadfast support for democratic norms rather than personal transactions. A candidate country anchored by strong, transparent institutions makes a more reliable long-term partner for the entire continent.