Why Is the EU So Soft on Serbia?

In this video we’re going to look at how the EU has been ‘soft’ on Serbia, how this ties into the recent protests in Serbia over the proposed lithium mine, and whether this might change in the future.

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[KameroonEmperor]

Whoever is doing the thumbnails has way too much fun

[Ruddpocalypse]

To viewers in Serbia; as an Aussie who sees Rio Tinto in everyday life, do not believe a word Rio Tinto says

[au-delabattleworld]

Usa : you said oil ? 🦅🦅🦅
UE : you said lithium ? 🦅🦅🦅

[SSSR]

They are soft becasue this situation suits them.
From Serbia they are getting very cheap labor, cheap exports, good deal with the corrupt Government and all the recourses they can mine for no charge at all.
And all of that without getting new member that they will need to give more money than they are already giving.
TLDR - becasue EU likes money more and they are willing to let people there suffer as long as that is in their interest.

[StrahinjaSRB]

I'm from Serbia, and I think that this video sums up the situation pretty well. Just let's not forget that the EU supported Vučić in his rise to power in the early 2010's. Now, they are also supporting him in remaining in power. Most of the people in Serbia just want peace, economic stability and security for people living in Serbia and for Serbs (and others) living in the Balkan region. Lot of young people in Serbia (like me) work for Western companies, and respect EU as an economic partner, but sometimes we feel let down by some EU decisions, like supporting lithium mining in Serbia. One more reason why EU is supporting Vučić which is not mentioned here, is that Serbia is a supplier of ammunition to Ukraine, even though we are labeled sometimes as "Russian ally". I think that at least 80% of the people here do not support war in Ukraine (because we know how it is when you have a war in your country), but when you look at history, sanctions often effect more regular citizens of the sanctioned country, and less it's government.

[PeterPeter-prhi]

Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine happened, this was pretty much the case here in Hungary

The EU did complain about Orbán being an autocrat and holding back EU decisionmaking and whatnot, but we were just SO GOOD at providing cheap labor for Western companies that they couldn’t stay angry at us

You know, Western values and all that

[andrejparunovic]

What arrogant language.
Who is the EU to go soft or hard on anyone not violating any international laws

[aleksandarsladojevic]

As a Serb who is against Vucic's traitorous policies, I am still missing to understand why do you think anyone from EU should sanction my country? EU takes out of Serbia in between 3-5 billion euros and the trade between EU and Serbia severely favours the EU so I think that EU should keep its mouth shut.

[vladimirpolic]

The answer is simple: Our president bends over on their say-so, letting them do whatever, and in return they let him do whatever

[karabg]

A bit of fact-checking. Vučić and Scholz did not sign an agreement but a memorandum of understanding, which is not a legally binding act.
Rio Tinto is a UK-Australian company, not Anglo-American.
And finally: after many EU countries elected populist governments in prior years, what exact values are we talking about? Suddenly lithium is more important than freedom of speech, independent media, and an independent judicial system?

[ogimati]

Море, си Сај те га и ви и ваша ЕУ. Далеко вам лепа кућа била.

[Draktand]

The issue with supporting leaders that backslide on democracy, is that any short term stability gained, is payed for with long term stability.

The purpose of checks and balances is that it allows you to throw out incompetent leaders, after all.

[pavlinpetkov]

Countries like Serbia are independent only de jure. De facto, those countries are banana republics ruled by foreign powers... Bulgaria is the same parody. It doesn't matter if there is an autocratic rule or democracy... You do what you are told to do...

[tucakov]

As a Serbian who is opposed to lithium mining due to obvious environmental concerns, it's very disappointing that the EU and EC have disregarded the will, health, and ecology of a European nation for a small geopolitical gain (remember, it is expected that lithium car batteries will be obsolete in about 10 years). It tells me that the EU is getting desperate.

And I've seen the same things happen in my country over the decades and, trust me, when politicians get desperate, they tend to disregard the well-being of their own nation in a blink of an eye. Seems to me that the EU is getting there (and that too brings me concern since we always thought if the situation in Serbia gets any worse, we'll move to somewhere else in Europe, but desperate times seem to be upon the EU).

[mpbgd]

The Serbian people feel deeply betrayed by the European Union, starting with the EU's approach to Kosovo, which they believe overlooked their concerns. This sense of betrayal was further intensified by the EU's position on lithium exploration, where many Serbians feel their national interests were disregarded. The situation worsened with what the Serbian people see as the EU’s willingness to recognize (last) elections that they believe were rigged in a country where press freedom is severely restricted. To many, these actions signal a broader pattern of disregard for their sovereignty and democratic values.

[sallee]

It is funny how Serbia is a so small country but still so important.

[Proton_N]

EU is NOT soft on Serbia.
When EU starts using the same standards they use on Ukraine then we can talk.

[gungan]

I can not overstate how much the EU can go eff itself.

[laonda]

This video is pure propaganda, the EU has never been soft on serbia.

[skylinedelectronics]

Because they know that they forcibly took part of Serbia's territory against all international rights, and time will tell what kind of mistake they made.