Belgrade, December 10, 2025 – Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has urged the European Union to admit all six remaining Western Balkan countries as full members at the same time, warning that admitting only a few nations first would leave unresolved disputes festering and threaten long-term regional peace.
Speaking at a forum in Belgrade on Tuesday, Vucic said he will personally present the proposal during upcoming meetings in Brussels with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa.
“The best option for the EU would be to admit all the Western Balkan countries as full members at the same time,” he said. “If you admit two or three countries in the region, what will happen to the others? How will the open questions be resolved? I think mutual admission is the best solution and would contribute to regional stability.”
He stressed that Serbia “values peace and stability above all” and pledged that his country would not enter any conflict during his current mandate, which runs until 2027.
The Western Balkans — Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia — have been in various stages of the EU accession process for more than two decades. Montenegro and Serbia are the furthest along, with formal negotiations open. Albania and North Macedonia began talks in 2022 but remain stalled. Bosnia and Herzegovina became a candidate in 2022 yet has not started negotiations, while Kosovo is the only country in the region still without candidate status.
EU leaders have repeatedly declared that the future of the Western Balkans lies inside the bloc, but internal divisions, slow reforms, and geopolitical pressures have kept enlargement largely frozen. Vucic’s call for simultaneous entry is seen by analysts as both a genuine push for regional reconciliation and a tactical move to prevent Serbia from being left behind if smaller neighbours advance faster.
NIS Refinery Crisis Looms
Vucic also used the platform to address the impending shutdown of Serbia’s only oil refinery in Pancevo, operated by Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS), which is majority-owned by Russia’s Gazprom Neft.
New U.S. sanctions imposed in January 2025 on Gazprom Neft and its subsidiaries, including NIS, have cut off crude supplies and forced the refinery into “hot standby” mode. After several short-term waivers, the final deadline falls in mid-January.
“We have three options,” Vucic said. “First, the United States lifts the sanctions — a very difficult possibility. Second, Russia sells its shares to its partners, which I hope will happen. The last option is for the state to step in on January 15.”
He ruled out nationalisation but confirmed that Serbia is prepared to purchase the Russian stake if no other buyer emerges, warning that closure would cause “serious difficulties” for the country’s energy security and economy. NIS supplies roughly 80% of Serbia’s fuel and directly employs thousands.
The president said he will raise the refinery issue during his Brussels talks, hoping the EU can help broker a solution or secure additional waivers.
Broader Implications
Vucic’s twin messages — collective EU accession and urgent energy assistance — come at a delicate moment. Large anti-government protests have rocked Belgrade for weeks, triggered by a deadly train-station collapse widely blamed on corruption and mismanagement. Public support for EU membership in Serbia has fallen below 40%, and many accuse Vucic of using the Brussels trip to shore up his domestic image.
Regional leaders offered mixed reactions. Montenegro welcomed the idea of faster integration but insisted each country must be judged on its own merits. Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti dismissed the proposal as an attempt to maintain Serbian dominance over the region.
As Vucic prepares to travel to Brussels, the European Union faces a pivotal choice: embrace a bold, all-in approach to Balkan enlargement that could finally close one of the continent’s longest-running geopolitical wounds, or continue its cautious, country-by-country strategy that risks further instability.
For Serbia, the stakes are immediate. Without a resolution on the NIS refinery, the country could face fuel shortages within weeks. With protests still simmering at home and enlargement talks moving slowly, Vucic is walking a tightrope — presenting himself as both the champion of regional peace and the pragmatic leader protecting Serbia’s vital interests.
