French President Emmanuel Macron hosted Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić at the Élysée Palace on Thursday, 13 November 2025, for an extensive working dinner. The meeting took place as Serbia faces growing political pressure at home and continues to strengthen its strategic ties with France.
A strategic meeting amid domestic turmoil in Serbia
President Emmanuel Macron welcomed his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vučić on Thursday evening for a working dinner at the Élysée Palace. Initially held without any official communication from the French Presidency, the meeting was later confirmed by Macron on X, where he referred to a “long exchange” between the two leaders.
The visit comes at a time of mounting political unrest in Serbia, where large-scale protests have erupted over alleged corruption and violence attributed to the government. Tensions escalated in November after the deadly collapse of a train station canopy in Novi Sad, which killed 16 people.
In response, a group of Serbian students has embarked on a bicycle journey to the European Parliament in Strasbourg to alert EU institutions about the situation in their country.
France reaffirms its support for Serbia’s European path
In his message on X, Emmanuel Macron reiterated “the importance France attaches to the democratic and European future of Serbia,” calling on Belgrade to “continue the reforms expected” as part of the EU accession process and to build on the country’s recent economic progress.
Aleksandar Vučić confirmed that European integration was a key topic during the meeting, expressing confidence that “significant advances” could be made in 2026 if the EU creates the necessary political conditions.
A major economic and strategic partnership
Despite Serbia’s domestic turbulence, economic cooperation between France and Serbia has reached unprecedented levels, with bilateral trade exceeding €2 billion for the first time.
Several large-scale projects were highlighted during the meeting:
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Rafale fighter jets – Serbia’s €3 billion purchase of 12 French Rafale aircraft remains the cornerstone of bilateral defence ties. Vučić confirmed that Serbia will pay the second instalment of over €400 million this week.
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Belgrade Metro – The Serbian president announced that a final commercial agreement with French company Alstom will be signed by 15 December to build the first metro line in Belgrade, expected to be completed within 2.5 to 3 years.
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Airport and industry – French group Vinci continues to operate Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla Airport, while Michelin maintains production facilities in the country.
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Artificial intelligence – Serbia is acquiring one of the region’s most powerful AI-dedicated supercomputers from French company Bull SAS, making it the only such machine in Southeast Europe.
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Defence cooperation – Discussions included the potential final assembly of Airbus H125 helicopters in Serbia, additional equipment for Rafale aircraft, and Mistral missile systems.
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Civil nuclear energy – Vučić reaffirmed Serbia’s long-term plan to develop nuclear energy in cooperation with EDF, noting that Belgrade has allocated €30 million for preliminary studies.
Regional stability: Bosnia, Kosovo and Ukraine high on the agenda
Regional security issues were a major focus of the working dinner.
Macron reaffirmed France’s “unwavering support for the unity of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” following renewed tensions triggered by last month’s conviction of Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, a close political ally of Vučić.
The French president also called the normalisation of relations between Serbia and Kosovo an “essential condition” for the European aspirations of both countries.
Regarding the war in Ukraine, Vučić stated that the two leaders discussed “peace, not weapons,” focusing on the timing and conditions required to reach a diplomatic settlement.
A potential visit by Emmanuel Macron to Belgrade
Aleksandar Vučić hinted that the French president could visit Serbia soon, describing their three-hour meeting as “strategic” and expressing hope that concrete results could be seen “by the end of the year”.
©2025 – IMPACT EUROPEAN
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