On 20 February, 2025, the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy presented its latest research, titled “Non-Malign Influence - What Does the Russian Community in Serbia Think and Do,” at the Envoy Conference in Belgrade.

This study examines the political views of the Russian immigrant community in Serbia who relocated following the beginning of a full-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine in February 2022.

The international system is undergoing profound changes and one of the main ones is the growth of China’s global influence, which is gradually turning into a source of influence comparable to the United States. This process is accompanied by the growth of China’s political and economic presence in different regions of the world. Europe is no exception, but this process varies greatly in different countries, with some countries only cautiously developing ties with China while others seek to expand them as much as possible.

In July 2023, Serbian Defence Minister Miloš Vučević, and now Serbian Prime Minister, publicly accused Türkiye of training, arming and conducting military drills with the Kosovo Security Forces (KSF), Kosovo’s crisis response formation with the explicit purpose of transforming the KSF into full-fledged army by the year 2028.

Bilateral disputes between European Union member states and candidate countries are one of the key obstacles to EU enlargement. They have been plaguing the EU accession process ever since the breakup of Yugoslavia and the subsequent border dispute between EU member Slovenia and candidate country Croatia which then ensued. More recently we have the case of North Macedonia. It became a candidate country in 2005 but ever since, its accession negotiations have been bogged down by endless bilateral disputes.

Bilateral disputes between European Union member states and candidate countries are one of the key obstacles to EU enlargement. They have been plaguing the EU accession process ever since the breakup of Yugoslavia and the subsequent border dispute between EU member Slovenia and candidate country Croatia which then ensued. More recently we have the case of North Macedonia. It became a candidate country in 2005 but ever since, its accession negotiations have been bogged down by endless bilateral disputes.

In the past few years, a growing number of policy- and decision-makers seem to have heeded the tireless efforts of gender advocates: there is a strong interest in feminist perspectives and gender equality efforts, at least rhetorically.

The half-day conference titled “Behind the Scenes of the Balkan Defence Policies,” organised by the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy, was the opportunity to present and discuss the main findings of the latest edition of the Balkan Defence Monitor.

We present you the new Balkan Defence Monitor - independent and comprehensive source of information regarding defence topics in the region.