NATIONAL ECONOMY AS A DETERMINANT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA FOREIGN POLICY – IN THE CONTEXT OF EU ACCESSION

Kostić Jelena (Autorka je naučni saradnik u Institutu za uporedno pravo, Beograd), suputjelena@yahoo.com

The level of the state economic development is a major determinant of social welfare. In the age of globalization, the quality of relations with other countries depends on the economic conditions on the national level. The proper foreign policy could be very important for the national economic development. However, the situation on the national level could have a great impact on the state foreign policy. That is also the reason for the pursuit of membership in international organizations. It seems that the foreign policy of the Republic of Serbia is primarily determined by economic conditions, although it has been designed by the great influence of political heritage. The goal of this paper is to underline the relationship between the national economy and foreign policy. The necessity for the development of the national economy affected the tendency towards the membership of the Republic of Serbia in the EU, as well as the cooperation with the People\'s Republic of China and the Russian Federation. The current foreign policy of Serbia rests on the four pillars – the cooperation with the United States, the Russian Federation, the People\'s Republic of China and the European Union. The interests of some of them are opposed. This can affect the quality of relations between the Republic of Serbia and these countries. However, it could have a tremendous impact on the national economic policy priorities. It seems it is difficult to give an answer to the question of what will happen in the future Therefore, it is perhaps necessary to take advantage of the current benefits that Serbia has as a candidate for accession to the EU and from the economic cooperation with the Russian Federation and the People\'s Republic of China.

Keywords: national economy, determinants, development, cooperation, the European Union, Russian Federation, China