As one of the activities within the COMPASS Project, the Second Online Survey on stances regarding Serbia’s foreign policy has been launched.
The aim of the survey is to gather public opinion on major goals, trajectories, partners in foreign policy of Serbia, particularly those relating to Serbia’s relation with the EU and China. The survey has 27 questions and the results will be used in further research by the project team members, especially in comparison with the results of the first survey.
At the event “Common Development, Shared Opportunities: Global Dialogue”, organized by the Institute of International Politics and Economics, in cooperation with the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China and the China Media Group, the results and findings of the COMPASS project were presented. Three project members participated: Prof. Dr. Branislav Đorđević gave an opening address, dr. Ivona Lađevac moderated the event, and dr. Nenad Stekić was one of the speakers.
Beside dr. Đorđević, the opening ceremony included speaches by Mr. Shen Haixiong, Chairman of the China Media Group and Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Ms. Adrijana Mesarović, Minister of Economy in the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Ms. Višnja Rakić, Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Youth and Tourism, Republic of Serbia; and H.E. Mr. Li Ming, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of Serbia.
The working session hosted four presentations by Dr. Nenad Stekić, Dr. Aleksandra Tošović Stevanović, and MSc Jovana Nikolić, researchers at the Institute of International Politics and Economics, as well as MSc Jelena Gledić from the Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade. Dr. Stekić talked about relations between Serbia and China and explored possible future avenues for scientific research on this topic.
The results of the “COMPASS” project were presented at the online roundtable “Contemporary Challenges in the International System: Views from Beijing and Belgrade”, held under the auspices of the Institute of International Politics and Economics (IIPE) and the China Institute of International Studies (CISS).
The meeting was opened by IIPE Deputy Director and COMPASS Principal Investigator, dr Ivona Lađevac, as well as by CIIS Vice President, dr Liu Feitao, and was moderated by COMPASSS Team Member dr Aleksandar Mitić.
The three panels, devoted to international diplomatic and economic relations, as well as bilateral Sino-Serbian relations, were addressed by IIPE scientific researchers dr Slobodan Popović, dr Dragan Trailović and Jovana Nikolić, MA, as well as by CIIS scientific researchers dr Jin Ling, dr Ning Shengnan and Liang Xue.
The results of the survey “Attitudes on Serbia’s Foreign Policy – 2024” within the “COMPASS” project, realized by the Institute of International Politics and Economics and the Institute of Social Sciences, were broadcasted on RTS, Serbia’s public service television.
During the RTS “Morning show”, the results were discussed by dr Aleksandar Mitić, IIPE Research Fellow and project team member.
Politika, oldest daily newspaper in Serbia, dedicated its Sunday, March 2, special topic section to Serbia’s foreign policy and highlighted the results of the COMPASS project.
Three members of the project, Aleksandar Mitić, Sanja Filipović, and Nenad Stekić, wrote articles on the different aspects of Serbia’s interantional relations, including its postition in the larger geopoltiical processes, public opinion on the EU and China and major bilateral econmic developments with these partners.
The COMPASS press conference on the outputs of the project presented the publication Year in Rewind – Serbia’s Compass for 2024, as well as the results of the first COMPASS survey on public opinion on Serbia’s foreign policy.
The press conference on the promotion of COMPASS project results took place on, February 20, 2025. It showcased key findings from the research conducted as part of the COMPASS project, funded by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia under the “PRIZMA” program (No. 7294).
During the presentation, members of the project team shared insights from the Survey on Foreign Policy Attitudes of Citizens of the Republic of Serbia. The survey provided a comprehensive overview of public perceptions regarding Serbia’s foreign relations, with a particular focus on its ties with the European Union and China.
Additionally, the event featured the promotion of the COMPASS Project Yearbook, which includes an analysis of Serbia’s foreign policy environment in 2024 and expert predictions on major international trends for 2025. The Yearbook offers valuable perspectives for policymakers, academics, and the broader public interested in Serbia’s evolving diplomatic landscape.
The presentation attracted researchers, diplomats, policymakers, and members of the public, all eager to engage in discussions on Serbia’s global partnerships and future strategic directions. The COMPASS outputs were presented by Dr. Ivona Ladjevac, Project PI, and Dr. Sanja Filipović, Dr. Aleksandar Mitić and Dr. Nenad Stekić, members of the project team.
The COMPASS Annual Yearbook titled “Year in Rewind – Serbia’s COMPASS for 2024” is a publication offering a comprehensive assessment of the evolving dynamics in Serbia’s relations with both the EU and China. The Yearbook provides in-depth analysis and insights into the political, economic, and security dimensions of these partnerships, reflecting the ongoing changes and emerging trends in Serbia’s foreign policy.
The Yearbook presents key insights gathered from the research conducted throughout the first project implementation year, and covers the period from January to December of 2024. Additionally, it spotlights key upcoming events and trends for 2025.
The results of The COMPASS Survey: Attitudes on Serbia’s Foreign Policy – 2024, the first of two planned public opinion surveys, have been published. The survey examines public perceptions of Serbia’s foreign policy direction, its relationships with major partners such as the EU, the US, Russia, and China, attitudes toward neighboring countries, and views on key international political leaders.
The main findings and key takeaways will be presented at an upcoming public event.
Research results of the COMPASS project team members are published within the two volume conference proceedings of the „The Dialogues on China – Harvesting the winds of change: China and the global actors”. The second volume includes the keynote speech and five papers presented at the special dedicated COMPASS panel of the second day of the conference:
“Serbian development path of FDIs – Navigating between the EU and China” by Katarina Zakić (keynote speech)
“Serbia and China: From strategic partnership towards community with shared future” by Ivona Lađevac
“The COMPASS Dataset: A new approach to indexing Serbia’s policy trends” by Nenad Stekić
“Serbia between China and the EU: Analysis of foreign trade commodities exchange” by Sanja Filipović
“Serbia’s security relations with the EU and China in the evolving international environment” by Branislav Đorđević and Pavle Nedić
“A decade of Serbia’s EU accession process: Implications for Sino-Serbian political relations” by Aleksandar Mitić
