The Resurgence of “All-Serbism” and the Intensification of European Integration Stagnation

Abstract

Taking the resurgence of All-Serbism as a point of departure, this article examines how it systematically impedes the extension of European integration into the Western Balkans through three interrelated pathways: historical legacies, political mobilization, institutional decoupling, and external linkages. Combining historical narrative and policy analysis, the study traces key developments since the disintegration of Yugoslavia-including the 2024 All-Serb Assembly in Belgrade-and evaluates the limitations of the EU’s conditionality instruments in addressing the revival of nationalism. The findings indicate three main patterns. First, All-Serbism has evolved from a domestic political discourse into a transnational identity and geopolitical strategy, becoming a structural force in the region. Second, the EU’s traditional mode of normative projection has lost efficacy in the face of security anxieties and sovereignty-centered politics, while internal Euroscepticism and decision-making fragmentation have further exacerbated enlargement fatigue. Third, external powers-particularly Russia-have amplified this ideology through security cooperation and discursive support. In response, the article argues that the EU should reconstruct its accession mechanism around a dual security-governance framework, implementing flexible and phased compliance, differentiated diplomacy, and socially embedded public diplomacy to enhance institutional resilience and weaken the societal roots of nationalism. The conclusion contends that unless the EU achieves coordinated reforms across institutional, diplomatic, and identity dimensions, the prospect of integrating the Western Balkans will remain constrained by nationalism and geopolitical competition. Future research should further explore the interplay among All-Serbism, Pan-Slavic identity, Russo-European rivalry, and the EU’s internal political cycles.