Balkans in July 2026: the most important developments in politics
Politics in the Balkans in July 2026 centered on Serbia and its President Aleksandar Vucic. On July 2, the Serbian Progressive Party said it expected him to become its candidate for prime minister. On July 8, he announced separate parliamentary and presidential elections and said he would resign after parliamentary elections are called. On July 11, he offered to hold both, on July 18 he said he would campaign as a citizen and not as president, and on July 20 he said elections would be called soon.
Serbia's relations with the EU and Russia stayed in focus. On July 6, Serbia said it would never agree to sanctions against Russia, while also saying it had imposed sanctions and was not a "little Russia". On July 8, eight EU countries opposed opening the next accession cluster for Serbia, and the European Parliament said Serbia must improve the rule of law. Vucic said Serbia and Ukraine will not join the EU soon, and on July 14 he urged the EU to admit the Western Balkan states as a group. He also said the US would influence Serbia's energy sector. On July 15, he visited Kyiv, skipped a tribute to fallen soldiers, and Serbia declined to sign a joint declaration at the Ukraine summit. The Kremlin said it sent no messages to President Zelenskyy through him. A Serbian cabinet minister's statement on ethnic cleansing drew fierce reactions on July 14.
Montenegro moved closer to EU membership, with the EU opening the door on July 14, and Hungary expressed support for membership by 2028. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said Albania will not veto North Macedonia's path to the EU, while Albania said it will not grant passports to ethnic Albanians in North Macedonia after joining. The EU appointed a new representative for Kosovo, and the US and the EU clashed over the appointment of a new high representative for Bosnia.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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