Relationship dossier
Bulgaria
Serbia
Relationship assessment
Practical cooperation alongside a persistent disagreement over Kosovo
Bulgaria toward Serbia
+15Bulgaria and Serbia signed a good-neighbourliness and cooperation agreement and cooperated on a cross-border gas interconnector. Bulgaria’s recognition of Kosovo remains a significant point of disagreement with Serbia.
Serbia toward Bulgaria
+15Serbia has participated in bilateral cooperation with Bulgaria, including the good-neighbourliness agreement and the cross-border gas interconnector. Serbia’s rejection of Kosovo’s independence contrasts with Bulgaria’s recognition of Kosovo.
Overall relationship
+15The relationship combines formal bilateral cooperation and practical cross-border energy development with a durable disagreement over Kosovo’s status. The cooperation is substantive but the political difference remains significant.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Bulgaria and Serbia have pursued practical cooperation, including a bilateral good-neighbourliness and cooperation agreement and a cross-border gas interconnector. Relations also face a significant political disagreement: Bulgaria recognizes Kosovo, while Serbia rejects its independence. These developments point to a mixed relationship with concrete cooperation alongside a lasting point of tension.
Areas of tension
- Bulgaria’s recognition of Kosovo conflicts with Serbia’s position that Kosovo is part of Serbia.
Key developments
Bulgaria and Serbia signed a good-neighbourliness and cooperation agreement.
The cross-border gas interconnector between Bulgaria and Serbia began operating, providing a new route for gas supplies between the countries.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral cooperation under the good-neighbourliness agreement are unclear.
- The extent of ongoing government cooperation on energy and other cross-border projects is unclear.