Third Country Challenge to EU CFSP: The Case of Serbia in the Context of Russia’s and China’s Power Projection in the Western Balkans

This paper investigates the relationship between the EU’s promotion of norms and values in the foreign policy domain in the candidate states. It argues that the EU has far been unsuccessful in promoting such norms to candidates like Serbia in the Western Balkans. One of the key factors is the emergence of ‘contesting third states’, in particular Russia and China, whose soft power approaches have resonated well with conservative successive governments in Belgrade. The key questions which this research paper seeks to answer are: how can candidate states like Serbia be given more incentive to align with the Common FS Policy priorities of the EU with the rising influence of Russia and China in Southeast Europe; what consequences for candidate states like Serbia can emerge for the EU if Russia and China exert significant influence in Europe’s neighbourhood for a foreseeable future; what are some of the most effective ways to counter challenges to the EU CFSP by third states in the EU’s neighbourhood, including the Western Balkans? The methodology used for this research includes both primary and secondary literature review; discourse analysis of policy platforms of major politics parties in candidate states; and a comparative method. The author has conducted several public opinion surveys in Serbia regarding views on foreign policy by the EU, China and Russia with results that match Balkan Barometer reports but go even further to identify some of the drivers of such views. This article aims to contribute to the broader academic literature on European integration, foreign policy of the EU and future directions in CFSP in the 21st century. Major systemic rivals to the EU are Russia and China with an increasingly active foreign and security policy as demonstrated by Serbian case in the Western Balkans.