Uloga „Otvorenog Balkana" u spoljnoj politici Srbije
The Role of the "Open Balkan" in Foreign Policy of Serbia

Summary/Abstract: In this paper, the authors start from the key elements of Serbia’s contemporary foreign policy, proving that economic interest could often be identified as the most important factor of Serbia’s activities in the foreign policy arena. As part of the argument for such claims, the authors refer to regional economic integration within the Western Balkans, starting primarily from the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA 2006) and Serbia’s position within it. The main goal of the authors is to provide an answer to the question of the role of the “Open Balkan” in Serbia’s foreign policy, that is, whether this initiative is one of Serbia’s instruments for achieving foreign policy goals. The authors prove that the basic role of the “Open Balkan” in Serbia’s foreign policy is to create a positive image of Serbia as an initiator of cooperation and reconciliation in the Western Balkans, but also a guarantor of stability in a politically unstable area. The establishment of a free flow of people, goods, capital and services among the countries of the Western Balkans and the creation of a significantly larger market would favor the further attraction of foreign direct investments and solve the problem of labor shortage in Serbia. Serbia’s foreign policy gains are reflected primarily in the achievement of international support, which project is not lacking for the “Open Balkan”, either from the European Union and the United States of America, but also from Russia and China. In the future, the “Open Balkan” could represent a platform for joint accession to the European Union, which creates additional room for maneuver for Serbia to strengthen its leadership position among the countries of the Western Balkans.

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