"I believe that within two to three years at the most, we will have to decide whether we want the EU or BRICS. And it will have to be done by the citizens of Serbia in a referendum."
-Serbian Deputy Prime Minister
My country borders Serbia, and we share a lot in common. At one point, both countries were part of the Roman Empire, and later we both experienced decades of communism. Yet, despite our shared history and close proximity, we’re surprisingly different.
Like Romania, Serbia also had a communist period, but under a far less oppressive leader, Josip Broz Tito, while we had Nicolae Ceaușescu. My father told me that Romanians were heavily restricted from traveling to the West out of fear we’d never return. In contrast, Tito took a different path, allowing Serbians more freedom to travel and prosper abroad. Many who migrated to Germany or other developed countries during the 80s returned, bringing valuable foreign investments back to Serbia.
Today, Serbia is not part of the EU. From what I’ve heard, they once pushed hard to join, feeling they were being left behind, but that urgency seems to have waned. Now, as recent statements indicate, they’ll have the unique choice of joining either the EU or BRICS in the future. And in Serbia, the people will actually get to vote on it.
Sounds fair, right? Here, we’re rarely consulted on big decisions. Our country still echoes certain communist behaviors, largely because we’re too divided to push for change. In Serbia, people seem more united. Back in 2016, when I lived in Germany, I noticed how Serbian expats naturally gravitated together, supporting each other, while us Romanians were more isolated.
China has invested significantly in Serbia, funding highways and other projects. Given these deepening ties, I suspect that when the time comes, Serbia might lean towards BRICS over the EU. Honestly, the EU often feels like a watered-down version of the US, filled with bureaucracy and internal contradictions.
This isn’t a rant against my people; we have our own values to be proud of. But when I read the statement from Serbia’s deputy prime minister about the choice between the EU or BRICS, I couldn’t help but wonder how things would play out here.
Simply put, we’re not the same.
Thanks for your attention,
Adrian