Relationship dossier
Germany
Serbia
Relationship assessment
Strategic cooperation and European integration coexist with a major dispute over Kosovo.
Germany toward Serbia
+25Germany has supported Serbia’s European integration and participates in bilateral strategic cooperation, including through the Berlin Process. Germany’s recognition of Kosovo and support for its independence, however, conflict with Serbia’s position.
Serbia toward Germany
+25Serbia participates in bilateral strategic cooperation with Germany and in the Berlin Process, engaging with German-led initiatives for the Western Balkans. Serbia’s rejection of Kosovo’s independence remains a significant disagreement with German policy.
Overall relationship
+25The relationship has a durable cooperative framework, including a strategic partnership and cooperation on Serbia’s European path and Western Balkan issues. It is constrained by the fundamental disagreement over Kosovo, which prevents the partnership from being unambiguously close.
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
Germany and Serbia maintain a strategic partnership and cooperate through Germany’s Western Balkans initiatives, including the Berlin Process. Germany supports Serbia’s European integration while its recognition of Kosovo and support for Kosovo’s independence remain a major source of friction with Belgrade. The relationship combines sustained practical cooperation with a significant political disagreement.
Areas of tension
- Germany recognizes Kosovo’s independence, while Serbia rejects it.
- German expectations concerning Serbia’s normalization of relations with Kosovo remain a point of political friction.
Key developments
Germany and Serbia established a strategic partnership.
Germany launched the Berlin Process to support cooperation and integration among Western Balkan countries, including Serbia.
Major uncertainties
- The current scope and implementation of bilateral strategic partnership arrangements are unclear.
- The extent to which German-Serbian cooperation has advanced on specific policy areas is unclear.