From Pariah to Partner? The Case of Serbia

Abstract

The trajectory of Serbia during the first decade of the 21st century is quite remarkable: from an authoritarian state led by Slobodan Milošević blamed for much of the violence in BiH and Kosovo,² to a post-authoritarian state still controlled by shadowy elements of the former regime who were hiding war-crimes suspects, and finally a credible candidate for future accession into the EU. Unlike its Western Balkans neighbours, Serbia benefitted from a long legacy of state institutions and technical capacities, and largely inherited the public administration from Yugoslavia. This chapter will provide relevant background information, which will be followed by a mapping of the state and non-state capacities for multi-level environmental governance.