Country file Serbia

Country of Origin Information

Document published by:
General Inspectorate for Immigration
Directorate for Asylum and Integration
with the Romanian National Council for Refugees
within the National Program
Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, 17.03.02
Management of COI Usage and Research processes

AUGUST
2017

This work is destined for general information, in service of professional interest of all practitioners within asylum procedure in Romania. This work
does NOT analyze the merits of granting a form of international protection.
Contents

General overview .................................................................................................................................3

Geography............................................................................................................................................4

Population and Society ........................................................................................................................5

Goverment and administration ............................................................................................................6

Security ................................................................................................................................................7

Economy ..............................................................................................................................................8

Annex ...................................................................................................................................................9

Serbian banknote .............................................................................................................................9

Exchange rates .................................................................................................................................9
Serbian passport .............................................................................................................................10
Serbian flag ....................................................................................................................................10
The library of the University of Texas, Serbia. Ethnic majorities, http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/serbia.html, accessed
15.08.2017.
General overview
Located in the continent of Europe, Serbia covers 77,474 square kilometers of land, making
it the 118th largest nation in terms of land area.1
Beginning in the 1920s, Serbia was an integral part of Yugoslavia (meaning “Land of the
South Slavs”), which included the modern countries of Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Montenegro. Long ruled in turn by the Ottoman
Empire and Austria-Hungary, these component nations combined in 1918 to form an independent
federation known as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. In 1929 that federation was
formally constitutedas Yugoslavia.2

Communist Partisans resisted the Axis occupation and division of Yugoslavia from 1941 to
1945 and fought nationalist opponents and collaborators as well. The military and political
movement headed by Josip Broz "TITO" (Partisans) took full control of Yugoslavia when their
domestic rivals and the occupiers were defeated in 1945. Although communists, TITO and his
successors (Tito died in 1980) managed to steer their own path between the Warsaw Pact nations
and the West for the next four and a half decades. Slobodan MILOSEVIC became president of the
Republic of Serbia and his ultranationalist calls for Serbian domination led to the violent breakup
of Yugoslavia along ethnic lines. The remaining republics of Serbia and Montenegro declared a
new Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) in April 1992 and under MILOSEVIC's leadership,
Serbia led various military campaigns to unite ethnic Serbs in neighboring republics into a "Greater
Serbia." These actions ultimately failed and, after international intervention, led to the signing of
the Dayton Peace Accords in 1995.3

The civil war caused the death or displacement of hundreds of thousands of people and
prompted international sanctions against the country. In the late 1990s more blood was spilled
when the Albanian-Muslim-dominated Serbian province of Kosovo declared independence,
resulting in the intervention of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the United
Nations, the bombing of Belgrade, and the placement of Kosovo under UN administration from
mid-1999.4

In June 2006, Montenegro seceded from the federation and declared itself an independent
nation. Serbia subsequently gave notice that it was the successor state to the union of Serbia and
Montenegro. In February 2008, after nearly two years of inconclusive negotiations, Kosovo
declared itself independent of Serbia - an action Serbia refuses to recognize. Serbia and Kosovo
signed the first agreement of principles governing the normalization of relations between the two
countries in April 2013 and are in the process of implementing its provisions. In 2015, Serbia and
Kosovo reached four additional agreements within the Brussels Dialogue framework. These
included agreements on the Community of Serb-Majority Municipalities; telecommunications;
energy production and distribution; and freedom of movement. Prime Minister Aleksandar VUCIC,
has promoted an ambitious goal of Serbia joining the EU by 2020. Under his leadership, in January
2014 Serbia opened formal negotiations for accession. Serbia has opened 8 chapters of the EU
acquis and provisionally closed 2 chapters.5

1
World Atlas, Where is Serbia, http://www.worldatlas.com/eu/rs/where-is-serbia.html, accessed 24.08.2017.
2
Encyclopedia Britannica, Serbia, https://www.britannica.com/place/Serbia, accessed 24.08.2017.
3
Central Intelligence Agency, World Fact Book. Serbia, last updated 31 August 2017,
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ri.html, accesed 31.08.2017.
4
See note 2.
5
See note 4.
Geography
Bounding the country to the west are the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the
Slavonian region of the Republic of Croatia. Serbia adjoins Hungary to the
north, Romania and Bulgaria to the east, Macedonia to the south, and Montenegroto the
southwest. Kosovo, which Serbia does not recognize as an independent country, lies to the south as
well, along the northwestern border of Albania.6

Belgrade capital of Serbia, and of the former nation of Yugoslavia and its short-lived
successor, Serbia and Montenegro, at the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers. It is the
commercial, industrial, political, and cultural center of Serbia, as well as a transportation and
communications hub. An industrial city, Belgrade produces a variety of manufactures.7

The landforms of Serbia, a landlocked country, fall into regional groupings that roughly
parallel the republic’s major political divisions. The plains of the northern Vojvodina region
generally lie at elevations between 200 and 350 feet (60 to 100 metres) above sea level. Hills and
high mountains characterize the central body of Serbia. Its western margins include sections of
the Dinaric Alps, and its eastern borderlands are part of the Carpathian and Rhodope mountain
systems. The granite ridge of the Kopaonik Mountains, in Serbia’s southwestern Dinaric zone,
reaches 6,617 feet (2,017 metres). This is a tectonically active region notable for earthquakes. To
the east the Carpathians are nearly as high; one peak in the Balkan Mountains (Stara Planina)
bordering Bulgaria attains an elevation of more than 7,000 feet (2,100 metres).8

The Danube is the longest river. With a total length of 2,783 km (1,729 mi), about 588 km
(365 mi) flows from west to east through the northern region of Serbia. The Tisa, Sava and Morava
rivers are major tributaries of the Danube.9 The Tisa River is the most prominent tributary of the
Danube in the Vojvodina, entering the province from Hungary south of the city of Szeged.
The Morava, or Velika Morava, River is the largest stream entirely within Serbia. It has a length of
290 miles (470 km) and flows northward into the Danube, draining two-fifths of Serbian territory.10

Climate of Serbia can be described as moderate-continental with more or less pronounced

local characteristics. Spatial distribution of climate parameters is caused by geographic location,
relief and local influence as a result of combination of relief, distribution of air pressure of major
scale, terrain exposition, presence of river systems, vegetation, urbanization etc.11

The forests of Serbia contain about 170 broadleaf species of trees and shrubs, along with
about 35 coniferous species. The animals found in Serbia include types of hare, pheasant, deer,
stag, wild boar, fox, chamois, mouflon, crane, duck, and goose.12
Natural resources are: oil, gas, coal, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony, chromite, gold, silver,
magnesium, pyrite, limestone, marble, salt and arable land.13

6
See note 2.
7
Encyclopedia.com, Belgrade, http://www.encyclopedia.com/places/spain-portugal-italy-greece-and-balkans/former-
yugoslavian-political-geography/belgrade, accessed 24.08.2017.
8
See note 2.
9
See note 7.
10
See note 2.
11
Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia, Climate characteristics of Serbia, 18 September 2013,
http://www.hidmet.gov.rs/podaci/meteorologija/eng/Klimatske_karakteristike_Srbije_prosirena_verzija.pdf, accessed
7.09.2017.
12
See note 7.
13
See note 3.
Population and Society
Serbia’s population is 8.774.152. The last official census was conducted in 2011 and
excluded Kosovo, which held its own census placing its population at 1.73 million. Serbia itself has
been in demographic crisis since the early 1990's with a death rate that still exceeds its birth rate.
Serbia, along with Bulgaria, has one of the most negative population growth rates in the world,
with one of the lowest fertility rates (just 1.44 children per woman). 1/5 of all households consist of
just one person and Serbia has among the 10 oldest populations in the world. Serbia had the largest
refugee population in Europe just twenty years ago, accounting for 7.5% of its population. 300,000
people left the country in the 90's, one-fifth of which had a higher education.14

The UN estimated that 52% of the population of the union of Serbia and Montenegro lived
in urban areas in 2005, and that urban areas were growing at an annual rate of 0.47%. The capital
city, Belgrade, had a population of 1,576,124 in 2002.15

Most of the population of Serbia and neighbouring Montenegro is of South Slavicorigin.

Slavic tribes entered the region from the north during the 5th to 7th century ce,
encountering Illyrian-speaking peoples. Although the Slavs acculturated large numbers of Illyrians,
many of the latter retained their distinctive language and customs in the complex hills and valleys
of present-day Albania.16

Main ethnic groups, according to the 2002 census (Serbia without Kosovo), are Serbs
6,212,838 (82.9%), Hungarians 293,299 (3.9%), Bosniaks 136,067 (1.8%), Roma 108,193 (1.4%),
Yugoslavs 80,721 (1.08%), Croats 70,602 (0.9%), Montenegrins 69,049 (0.9%), Albanians 61,647
(0.8%), Slovaks 59,021 (0.8%) and Vlachs 40,054 (0.5%). Other estimates, including those of the
World Bank, suggest there are 350,000 Roma.17

Serbian is the official language; more than 95% of the population speak it; Albanian
accounts for the remaining 5%. The script in official use is Cyrillic, while the Latin script is also
used. In the areas inhabited by ethnic minorities, the languages and scripts of the minorities are in
official use, as provided by law.18

There is no state religion; however, the Serbian Orthodox Church received preferential
treatment. The government continued to subsidize salaries of Serbian Orthodox clergy working in
other countries. The law on religion recognizes seven "traditional" religious communities: the
Serbian Orthodox Church, Roman Catholic Church, Slovak Evangelical Church, Reformed
Christian Church, Evangelical Christian Church, Muslim community, and Jewish community. 19
Population distribution is a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban
areas attracting larger and denser populations.20

14
World Population Review, Serbia Population 2017, http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/serbia-population/,
accessed 24.08.2017.
15
Encycploedia.com, Serbia, http://www.encyclopedia.com/places/spain-portugal-italy-greece-and-balkans/former-
yugoslavian-political-geography/serbia, accessed 24.08.2017.
16
See note 2.
17
Minority Rights Group, Serbia, http://minorityrights.org/country/serbia/, accessed 24.08.2017.
18
See note 15.
19
U.S. Department of State, July-December, 2010 International Religious Freedom Report. Serbia, last update
September 2011, https://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2010_5/168337.htm, accessed 24.08.2017.
20
See note 3.
Goverment and administration
The Republic of Serbia is the state of the Serbian people and all its citizens who live in
it and is founded on the rule of law and social justice, the principles of civil democracy, human and
minority rights and freedoms, and commitment to European principles and values. The political
system in Serbia is based on multi-party parliamentary democracy.21

The executive power in Serbia is exercised by the prime minister who is also the head of the
cabinet. The president of Serbia is a symbol of national unity and a country’s state representative.
The president is elected by popular vote for a maximum of two five-year terms. He is not
answerable to the national assembly but to the citizens of Serbia. The prime minister is selected by
the national assembly upon the recommendation of the president. The prime minister is the head of
government. He presents the agenda for the government to the national assembly and also proposes
cabinet ministers to the parliament for approval. The cabinet is made up of the prime minister,
deputy prime ministers, cabinet ministers with portfolios, and cabinet ministers without
portfolios.22

The legislative powers are exercised by a unicameral parliament known as the national
assembly, which is composed of 250 elected deputies. The members of parliament are elected in a
direct election using a proportional electoral system. The national assembly is responsible for
enacting laws, approving budgets, scheduling a presidential election, approving cabinet nominees,
selecting and dismissing prime minister and ministers, declaring war against an external enemy,
and ratifying international treaties and agreements. Members of the national assembly are elected
for a four-year term and have no term limits. Currently, parties with the most representatives in
parliament are the Serbia Progressive Party and the Socialist Party of Serbia.23

Judicial bracnh is composed of highest court(s): Supreme Court of Cassation (consists of

more than 60 judges organized into 3- and 5-member panels for criminal, civil, and administrative
cases); Constitutional Court (consists of 15 judges) and subordinate courts: appellate courts, higher
courts, and municipal and district courts; courts of special jurisdiction include the Administrative
Court, Appellate Commercial Court, and 2 levels of misdemeanor courts.24

Serbia is a unitary country with a one tier structure of government. This tier is composed by
150 municipalities (opstina), 23 Cities (grad) and the City of Belgrade, which are themselves
divided into several subordinate administrative units (mesna zajednica). Municipalities
(usually>10000hab), has an assembly, public service property and a budget. They comprise local
communities. Cities (>100000) have an assembly and budget of its own. Municipalities and cities
are gathered into larger entities known as districts which are regional centers of state authority.
Municipalities are able to perceive fees on urban land use, as well as business license and land
development fees (especially for the City of Belgrade).25

21
Serbia Travel, The political system, http://www.serbia.travel/about-serbia/society/the-political-system.724.html,
accessed 25.08.2017.
22
World Atlas, What Type Of Government Does Serbia Have?, http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-type-of-
government-does-serbia-have.html, accessed 25.08.2017.
23
Ibidem.
24
See note 3.
25
OECD, Euro Asia. Serbia Unitary Country, October 2016, https://www.oecd.org/regional/regional-policy/profile-
Serbia.pdf, accessed 25.08.2017.
Security
Serbia formally applied to become a member of the EU in 2009 and entered negotiations for
entry in 2014, but Moscow has attempted to counter its path to becoming a NATO
member. NATO's intervention in the region's decade-long ethnic wars following the collapse of the
Soviet Union has left the Western military alliance with a controversial history in the Western
Balkans, and Moscow has admitted Serbia into its rival coalition, the Collective Security Treaty
Organization, as a non-member observer state. Last year, Russia, Serbia and Belarus held joint
military drills called "Slavic Brotherhood" that coincided with nearby NATO emergency drills
in Montenegro, raising fears of a military escalation at a period of heightened tension between
Moscow and the West.26

Serbia is maintaining a balancing act between the West and Russia, its traditional Orthodox
Christian and Slavic ally. Although it wants to join the European Union, Belgrade has adamantly
refused to join NATO which bombed it in 1999 during the war in Kosovo.27

Anti-U.S. sentiments are most prevalent around certain anniversaries and some national
holidays, including: February 17 (the date of the 2008 independence of Kosovo), March 24 (the
beginning of the 1999 NATO bombing campaign), and ethnic Serb holidays such as St. Vitus’s
Day (Vidovdan, celebrated June 28). Wins or losses in sporting events can also trigger violence,
especially matches between rival teams. Demonstrations by political parties, unions, and other
groups are common in Serbia, and may become violent. Even demonstrations intended to be
peaceful can quickly turn violent. Violent crime in Serbia is most often associated with organized
crime activities, but can also be the result of xenophobia. Pick-pocketing, purse snatchings,
residential burglaries, and other crimes of economic motivation regularly occur.28

Serbia has some level of preparation in the fight against organised crime. Some progress has
been made in adopting a new police law, reorganising the Ministry of the Interior and in adopting
the first serious and organised crime threat assessment (SOCTA) using Europol methodology. A
credible track record in the fight against organised crime still needs to be established. Serbia
continued to be affected by the migration crisis. This created a substantial burden on its asylum and
migration system. Serbia continued to be constructive in its approach and to cooperate with
neighbouring countries and Member States, ensured the effective screening of refugees and
migrants, and made substantial efforts to provide shelter and humanitarian supplies, with EU
support as well as the support of others. It is important that Serbia remains engaged.29

26
Newsweek, Russian military deal with Serbia counters influence of NATO and EU in Balkans, last updated March
2017, http://www.newsweek.com/russia-military-deal-serbia-nato-eu-balkans-575522, accessed 24.08.2017.
27
Voanews, Serbia, United States Step Up Efforts to Bolster Region's Security, last updated April 2017,
https://www.voanews.com/a/serbia-united-states-step-up-efforts-bolster-regions-security/3804454.html, accessed
24.08.2017.
28
U.S. Department of State, Passports and International Travel – Serbia, Embassy Messages, last updated November
2016, https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/country/serbia.html, accessed 23.08.2017.
29
European Comission, Key findings of the 2016 Report on Serbia, 09.11.2016, https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-
enlargement/sites/near/files/pdf/key_documents/2016/20161109_report_serbia.pdf , accessed 23.08.2017.
Economy
Serbia has a transitional economy largely dominated by market forces, but the state sector
remains significant in certain areas. The economy relies on manufacturing and exports, driven
largely by foreign investment. MILOSEVIC-era mismanagement of the economy, an extended
period of international economic sanctions, civil war, and the damage to Yugoslavia's infrastructure
and industry during the NATO airstrikes in 1999 left the economy worse off than it was in 1990. In
2015, Serbia’s GDP was 27.5% below where it was in 1989.30

Serbia has implemented significant structural reforms in some parts of its economy.
Facilitated by a process involving privatization and consolidation, the once-defunct banking sector
has revived and continues to evolve. The economy’s competitiveness is supported by low flat tax
rates, relative openness to global trade, and ongoing regulatory reforms. Despite progress, however,
overall economic freedom in Serbia continues to be constrained by the lack of political will to
undertake the bold reforms that are required. Inefficient government spending remains high and
poorly managed. Deeper institutional reforms are needed to tackle bureaucracy, reduce corruption,
and strengthen a judicial system that is vulnerable to political interference.31

The global financial crisis exposed the structural weaknesses in Serbia’s economic growth
model and prompted the need for fiscal consolidation and an acceleration of the unfinished
transition to a market economy. The rapid growth experienced by Serbia during 2001–08 was
driven mainly by domestic consumption and led to significant internal and external imbalances that
proved to be unsustainable.32

Serbia has made some progress towards EU membership, signing a Stabilization and
Association Agreement with Brussels in May 2008, and with full implementation of the Interim
Trade Agreement with the EU in February 2010, gained candidate status in March 2012. In January
2014, Serbia's EU accession talks officially opened, and as of March 2017, Serbia had opened eight
negotiating chapters. Serbia's negotiations with the WTO are advanced, with the country's complete
ban on the trade and cultivation of agricultural biotechnology products representing the primary
remaining obstacle to accession. Serbia maintains a three-year Stand-by Arrangement with the IMF
worth approximately $1.3 billion that is scheduled to end in February 2018. The government has
shown progress implementing economic reforms, such as fiscal consolidation, privatization, and
reducing public spending. High unemployment and stagnant household incomes are ongoing
political and economic problems. Serbia is slowly implementing structural economic reforms
needed to ensure the country's long-term prosperity. In 2016, Serbia reduced its budget deficit to
1.4% and slowed the rate of growth of its public debt as a percent of GDP, more than doubled
between 2008 and 2015. Serbia's concerns about inflation and exchange-rate stability preclude the
use of expansionary monetary policy. Major economic challenges ahead include: high
unemployment rates and the need for private sector job creation; structural reforms of state-owned
companies; strategic public sector reforms; and the need for new foreign direct investment. Other
serious longer-term challenges include an inefficient judicial system, high levels of corruption, and
an aging population. Factors favorable to Serbia's economic growth include the economic reforms it
is undergoing as part of its EU accession process and IMF agreement, its strategic location, a
relatively inexpensive and skilled labor force, and free trade agreements with the EU, Russia,
Turkey, and countries that are members of the Central European Free Trade Agreement.33
30
See note 3.
31
2017 Index of Economic Freedom, Serbia, http://www.heritage.org/index/country/serbia, accessed 24.08.2017.
32
The World Bank, Overview. Serbia, last updated April 2017, http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/serbia/overview,
accessed 24.08.2017.
33
See note 3.
Annex
Serbian banknote34:

Exchange rates35:

34
https://www.banknoteworld.com/serbia?&start=0#banknotes, accessed 24.08.2017.
35
National Bank of Serbia, https://www.nbs.rs/export/sites/default/internet/english/scripts/kl_srednji.html, accessed
13.09.2017.
Serbian passport36:

Serbian flag37:

36
http://www.belgradenet.com/travel/visas.html, accessed 23.08.2017.
37
Encyclopedia Britannica, Serbia, https://www.britannica.com/place/Serbia, accessed 24.08.2017
Published by:
This document is a product of the General Inspectorate for Immigration in partnership with the Romanian
National Council for Refugees by the grant contract FAMI / 17.03.02 – Management of COI Usage and
Research Processes – Romanian National Council for Refugees.

EDITORIAL TEAM EDITORIAL TEAM

General Inspectorate for Immigration Romanian National Council for Refugees
Asylum and Integration Directorate
International Protection and Asylum
Procedures Service COORDINATOR AND EDITOR
Lavinia TEIOȘANU
SUPERVISION:
Mircea BABĂU – Director DAI
COMPILER:
NATIONAL EXPERT: Andrei ROȘCA
Felix DAVID

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