- Borislav Ivanov
Serbia’s irredentist and nationalistic tendencies threaten the future of the Balkans and the EU
Aleksandar Vulin, Serbian Interior Minister, has incited major controversy with floating the ideas about a “Serbian-World”, which entails that all Serbs living on the Balkans should be a part of the same political sphere. This threatens the integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with renewed calls for Republika Srpska to separate from the country, as well as it lays claims to Montenegro. Serbian irredentist have gone as far as to claim parts of Croatia, primarily parts of the Slavonia and Dalmatia regions, and parts of Bulgaria, mainly the Šopluk and Northwestern Moesia Inferior regions, which threatens the integrity of the EU. Ultra-nationalists even claim that North Macedonians are so-called “old Serbians”.
Serbia is calling for a peaceful transfer of the Republik of Srpska, which is most likely not going to satisfy the wants and needs of Serbian nationalists, as calls for a “Greater Serbia” have been going strong ever since the downfall of Serbia during the breakup of Yugoslavia.
Even if Serbia uses this initiative to create an economic union of its own, similar to the European Union, this would still pose a significant threat to the EU, as states like Russia or China could exert their influence on the bloc.
The only constructive way forward is for Serbia and other Balkan nations to curb their nationalistic, chauvinistic, and irredentist tendencies, and to join the EU, dissolving borders once again and joining a shared socio-economic area.
