Serbia’s journey toward the European Union began in January 2001, when pro-European parties won parliamentary elections following the fall of Slobodan Milošević in October 2000.
At the time, some observers even speculated that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia — which would cease to exist in 2006 after Montenegro’s withdrawal — could join the EU as early as 2007.
Reality soon proved more complicated. Kosovo, under UN administration after the 1999 war, is legally part of Serbia under UN Resolution 1244. It declared independence in 2008, a move that Serbia does not recognise.
Long before signing the Stabilisation and Association Agreement SAA) and obtaining EU candidate status in 2009, Serbia faced multiple challenges.
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