Relationship dossier
Italy
Serbia
Relationship assessment
Strategic partnership and EU-integration cooperation coexist with disagreement over Kosovo.
Italy toward Serbia
+35Italy has supported Serbia’s European integration and established a strategic partnership with Serbia. Italy’s recognition of Kosovo’s independence conflicts with Serbia’s position on Kosovo.
Serbia toward Italy
+35Serbia has maintained a strategic partnership with Italy and pursued government and economic cooperation with the Italian government. Serbia’s rejection of Kosovo’s independence remains a bilateral point of disagreement.
Overall relationship
+35The relationship has a durable cooperative basis in the strategic partnership and Italy’s support for Serbia’s European integration, alongside Serbia’s engagement with Italy. The principal structural tension is Italy’s recognition of Kosovo, opposed by Serbia.
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
Italy and Serbia have a cooperative bilateral relationship anchored by a strategic partnership and Italian support for Serbia’s European integration. Serbia has also cultivated close government and economic ties with Italy. A significant point of disagreement is Kosovo: Italy recognizes Kosovo’s independence, while Serbia rejects it.
Areas of tension
- Italy recognizes Kosovo’s independence, while Serbia rejects it.
Key developments
Italy and Serbia established a strategic partnership.
Italy recognized Kosovo’s independence, contrary to Serbia’s position.
Major uncertainties
- The current scope and implementation of bilateral strategic-partnership commitments are unclear.
- The scale and continuity of specific government-to-government cooperation are uncertain.