Serbia: The Little Engine that Could

DEVELOPMENTS

In December 2009, people waved good-bye to family members boarding a morning train from Belgrade, Serbia to Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina.  While the journey on this rickety, three-car, communist-styled train may seem insignificant to most, it is the first train in 18 years to link these two war-torn capitals back together – exemplifying the strides Serbia has taken to overcome its tumultuous past and lay new ‘track work’ toward European integration.

The most significant step in Serbia’s path to European integration occurred just a few days later, when Serbian President Boris Tadic travelled to Sweden and personally delivered his country’s formal application for EU membership. Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt of Sweden, which held the rotating EU presidency at the time, praised Serbia’s European ambitions, while President Tadic has verbalized his optimism of becoming an EU member state by 2014.  

However, critics worry that Serbia’s application is premature. With lingering issues regarding war crimes cooperation, economic stability, Kosovo recognition, corruption, judicial and social reform, critics argue that Serbia needs more time to transition into a true ‘European’ state.

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