Božović: For Greater-Serbian politics to survive, it seeks to push the region away from the European Union.
Cetinje Forum 2025
The fifth panel of the Cetinje Forum – FORCE2025 was titled “The Current Situation in Serbia and Reflections on the Western Balkans”.
Speaking on the fifth panel, the Executive Director of the Regional Academy for Democratic Development from Novi Sad, Balša Božović, said that there is nothing European left in Serbia in the past 13 years.
“Serbia has never been closer to Russia, and in the Report it is mentioned in the context of Georgia. The rapprochement is evident. This is the worst report Serbia has ever received,” Božović stated.
He emphasised that as long as such a regime is in power, it will continue trying to destabilise the region.
“For Greater-Serbian politics to survive, it will push the region away from the European Union (EU). That is why Montenegro’s path to the EU is not important only for Montenegro, but for the entire region. Montenegro will face many obstacles on that path,” Božović underlined.
To prevent this, he argued, Serbia needs democratisation, meaning at least 33 percent of citizens who support the EU.
“It is important for society in Serbia to understand how crucial Montenegro’s accession to the EU is for them as well,” Božović added.
He concluded that Vučić’s foreign policy has suffered a “total collapse,” and that he will try to do anything in order to survive politically.
Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory of the University of Belgrade, Milivoj Bešlin, noted that “no one can escape from their own history.”
“After Vučić, we will have no guarantees that society has learned all its lessons. We will see what our society will look like and whether it will move towards a genuine democratisation,” Bešlin said.
Professor at the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Novi Sad, Aleksej Kišjuhas, said that every form of free, democratic movement must be supported.
Professor at the Department of Media Studies of the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Novi Sad, Dinko Gruhonjić, stated that Serbian society has been poisoned, because there are people for whom it is normal to chant “Aco, you Albanian!”
“The situation is very dangerous. Imagine the kind of mental mush in the minds of people who have been watching this for 40 years, on all Serbian television channels. The regime is in terrible paranoia, in incredible fear,” Gruhonjić said.
The panel was moderated by political scientist Emir Pilav.
