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country were still in the majority across the board; even in Serbia there was a narrow edge above those who thought accession would harm the country, 34%, while a further 17% were undecided.
An earlier poll carried out in 2016 by the Belgrade-based Institute for European Affairs found that 52% of Serbian citizens believed Serbia should continue its EU integration even after the UK's departure from the union.
The mixed picture in Serbia is most likely related to historical grievances, specifically those re- lated to Kosovo’s independence, which is recog- nised by all but five EU member states.
“Part of this scepticism appears to be driven by historical grievances associated with the 1999 NATO bombing of Serbia to prevent the ethnic cleansing of Kosovar Albanians. The dominant expectation among EU countries that Serbia rec- ognize Kosovo's independence before joining the bloc likely exacerbates this resentment,” accord- ing to the report.
Another factor was that Serbia — more than most Western Balkan countries — is split be- tween those who want EU accession and those who look to Moscow. Gallup found that 54%
of Serbs approved of Russia's leadership over
the past two years (compared to just 28% who approved of the EU's leadership), the highest proportion across the region.
This is despite the strong commitment by Serbian politicians to EU accession, which Aleksandar Vucic has made his priority since becoming prime minister in 2014, even at the risk of jeopardising traditional ties to Russia. Vucic’s successor as prime minister, Ana Brnabic, has also indicated her primary goal is steering the country closer to the EU.
However, even at the top level of government there have some hints of frustration. After meeting Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras
on July 13, Vucic appealed at a press conference for the EU to set a timeframe for Serbia’s accession. With several negotiation chapters currently open, Belgrade is hoping for accession by 2020, though this may be overly optimistic.
Serbs in other Western Balkan countries also tended to be less confident in the benefits of EU membership than other ethnic groups. In Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro, both of which have substantial Serb minorities, 38% and 32% of Serbs respectively thought EU membership would benefit their country, compared to 59% and 49% of all citizens.