Relationship dossier
France
Serbia
Relationship assessment
Substantive cooperation shaped by Serbia’s EU ambitions and disagreements over Kosovo and foreign-policy alignment
France toward Serbia
+25France supports Serbia’s European integration and has pursued bilateral economic and infrastructure cooperation, including French involvement in major projects. French policy also links progress toward EU membership to rule-of-law reforms and normalization of relations with Kosovo.
Serbia toward France
+25Serbia has pursued economic and diplomatic cooperation with France, including cooperation on major infrastructure projects. Its government’s continued position on Kosovo and close relations with Russia have at times complicated alignment with French and EU policy.
Overall relationship
+25The relationship combines practical economic and infrastructure cooperation with France’s support for Serbia’s European integration. Its limits include disagreements and differing priorities concerning Kosovo, rule-of-law reforms, and Serbia’s foreign-policy alignment.
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
France and Serbia maintain substantive diplomatic and economic relations, including French investment and cooperation on infrastructure and European integration. France supports Serbia’s EU accession process while expecting progress on rule of law and normalization of relations with Kosovo. Serbia’s close ties with Russia and its approach to Kosovo have at times complicated relations with France and other EU members.
Areas of tension
- Serbia’s refusal to recognize Kosovo and the pace of normalization with Kosovo.
- EU concerns over rule-of-law reforms in Serbia.
- Serbia’s close relations with Russia and its alignment with EU foreign policy.
Key developments
France and Serbia signed an agreement for the purchase of 12 Rafale fighter aircraft, deepening defense cooperation.
French companies became involved in major Serbian infrastructure projects, including the Belgrade metro and Belgrade airport concession.
Major uncertainties
- The extent and implementation of recent bilateral economic and infrastructure agreements are unclear.
- The effect of Serbia’s Kosovo policy and foreign-policy alignment on current French government cooperation is uncertain.