Relationship dossier
Vatican City
Serbia
Relationship assessment
Diplomatic engagement, higher-education cooperation and shared opposition to Kosovo's recognition shape ties
Vatican City toward Serbia
+35The Holy See has maintained diplomatic engagement with Serbia and has not recognized Kosovo, a position aligned with Serbia's opposition to its independence.
Serbia toward Vatican City
+30Serbia has engaged diplomatically with the Holy See and concluded a bilateral agreement on cooperation in higher education.
Overall relationship
+30The relationship includes diplomatic engagement and a concrete agreement on higher-education cooperation. The Holy See's non-recognition of Kosovo also aligns with a major Serbian government position. The breadth and practical depth of cooperation beyond these features remain unclear.
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
The Holy See and Serbia maintain diplomatic engagement and have cooperated through a bilateral agreement on higher education. The Holy See's non-recognition of Kosovo aligns with a central Serbian government position, although the broader scope and practical depth of bilateral cooperation are not clear.
Key developments
Serbia and the Holy See signed an agreement on cooperation in higher education.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral cooperation beyond higher education are unclear.
- The extent of regular high-level government engagement is unclear.