The European Defence Ecosystem and its Impact on EU Candidate States: The Case of Serbia

The “ReArm Europe” initiative aims to increase EU defence cooperation and joint procurement. Through this initiative, the EU and its member states provided the Western Balkans with an entry point into their Defence Ecosystem. Indeed, even though Western Balkan states cannot receive loans, they have been included in the plan for potential participation in common procurements due to their industrial and military capabilities. Drawing from Role Theory’s insights, this paper examines how increasing participation into the EU Ecosystem affects Western Balkan states’ (mis)alignment with EU foreign policy priorities. In particular, it focuses on Serbia to examine how ReArm Europe, by providing significant industrial and market opportunities, challenges Belgrade’s established foreign policy patterns rooted in its attempt to preserve an official position of neutrality between the EU and Russia. Indeed, Belgrade’s refusal to adopt sanctions against Moscow in the aftermath of Russia’s 2022 aggression against Ukraine testifies to its hedging strategy in foreign policy, which greatly complicated the country’s progress towards EU membership. In this context, involvement in ReArm Europe both demands Serbia to re-consider its foreign policy role and to develop close military cooperation with EU member states which, if implemented, will conflict with the principle of military neutrality. Drawing from source material from Serbian documents and interviews, this paper discusses the paradoxical impact of Serbia’s entry into the European Defence Ecosystem, which involves Serbia’s need to reconsider its expectations and perceptions vis-à-vis both the EU and Russia.