If Vučić stays in power, the Balkans will continue to be unstable

Student protests and global crises have left a visible mark on the Balkans during 2025, while experts warn that the situation will remain tense in 2026, especially due to the influence of Serbia's policies under the leadership of President Aleksandar Vučić.

Aleksandar Popov, director of the Center for Regionalism in Novi Sad, emphasizes that President Vučić has assumed powers that do not belong to him and has largely destroyed the judiciary and other institutions, violating the rule of law and limiting media freedom.

"Everything that happened in neighboring countries was also reflected in the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where Serbia's influence has contributed to the instability of the region," Popov emphasizes for DANAS.

He also believes that Vučić's idea for the joint entry of all Western Balkan countries into the EU was not intended to accelerate integration, but to slow down the entry of Montenegro and Albania.

"Serbia, thanks to this regime, is not compatible with the values ​​of the European Union. We hope that in 2026 this regime will go down in history, which will bring a completely different attitude of Serbia towards the region and its neighbors," adds Popov.

Topic warns that if Serbia continues to verbally threaten Croatia for past sins or treat Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina in a paternalistic manner, the region will face serious unrest and instability.

Journalist Nikola Krstic describes Serbia in 2026 as a divided country dominated by the current regime, which will defend its interests to the last drop of its citizens' blood, transforming the country into a "colonial ship."

"Serbia will become a paradigmatic example for others of what a country looks like when an authoritarian government, a neoliberal economy and a criminal war past are combined in it," Krstić concludes.