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Albania leads in support for the EU, while Serbia remains the most skeptical bastion of European integration...
A survey recently published by the WeBalkans project shows that the European Union continues to enjoy high levels of trust and support in most Western Balkan countries.
The exception is Serbia, where perceptions of the EU and support for membership remain significantly lower than in other countries in the region. According to the survey data, fieldwork was conducted from February to April 2026, through face-to-face interviews with representative samples of 1,000 people in each Western Balkan country.
The respondents were citizens aged 15 and over.
Albania leads in positive perception of the EU
The results show that 82 percent of citizens in Albania have a positive image of the European Union, ranking the country at the top of the region. Albania is followed by Montenegro with 67 percent, Kosovo with 64 percent and North Macedonia with 61 percent.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, 53 percent of respondents view the EU positively, while Serbia registers the lowest level at just 28 percent. In this country, 38 percent of citizens have a neutral attitude towards the EU and 32 percent a negative attitude.
The indicator of trust in the European Union also appears high in most of the region. Albania leads with 91.9 percent, followed by Kosovo with 83.3 percent, North Macedonia with 79.5 percent, Montenegro with 72.8 percent and Bosnia and Herzegovina with 72 percent.
In Serbia, the level of trust in the EU reaches only 39.8 percent, reflecting a significant distance from the regional trend.
Strong support for EU membership
The survey also shows broad support for the European integration process. In Albania, 92 percent of citizens support membership in the European Union. Support is also high in Kosovo with 83 percent, Montenegro with 68 percent, North Macedonia with 67 percent and Bosnia and Herzegovina with 64 percent.
Serbia remains an exception, with only 31 percent of citizens expressing their support for EU membership. According to the survey, 27 percent hold a neutral position, while 40 percent oppose membership.
Different attitudes towards the US, Russia and China
The results show that trust in the United States is particularly high in Albania and Kosovo, where it exceeds 88 percent. In North Macedonia, this level reaches 61.9 percent, while it is lowest in Montenegro at 46.7 percent, Bosnia and Herzegovina at 31.8 percent, and Serbia at 16 percent.
Meanwhile, Russia enjoys the highest level of trust in Serbia, where 58.4 percent of respondents say they trust it. Relatively high levels are also recorded in Montenegro with 46.7 percent and North Macedonia with 36.8 percent. In Albania and Kosovo, trust in Russia remains below 10 percent.
Regarding China, Montenegro scores the highest level of trust with 64.5 percent, followed by Serbia with 54.5 percent and North Macedonia with 47.5 percent. In Albania, 41.2 percent of citizens say they trust China, while in Kosovo this indicator remains only 9.1 percent.
Clear geopolitical differences in the region
The survey data shows that most Western Balkan countries remain oriented towards the European Union and Western allies. Albania and Kosovo display the highest levels of trust in the EU and the US, while Serbia presents a different profile, with greater trust in Russia and China and significantly lower support for European integration.
The results reflect the political, historical and geopolitical differences that continue to influence citizens' perceptions in the region regarding key international actors and the European integration process. / Pamphlet /
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