The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Institute for European Studies and the International and Security Affairs Centre (ISAC Fund) have jointly published a Serbian translation of the European Union's Global Strategy on the Common Foreign and Security Policy, presented in late June 2016. On the basis of the Strategy, the European Union and its Member States will develop a number of operative documents, Action Plans and other legal acts in order to apply in practice the strategic commitments of its Common Foreign, Security and Defence Policy.

Serbia is the first country to translate and publish the EU Global Strategy, in cooperation of both governmental and non-government sectors, making this document available to the wider public.

Even though Serbia is non-EU Member State and has not taken part in the elaboration of the Strategy, it followed closely the related activities, in the context of its interest in all the elements and key courses of action of the Strategy, being a candidate country in accession talks with the EU. Owing to this publication, all Serbian state institutions dealing with topics covered by the EU Global Strategy will be able to get acquainted in more detail with basic principles the European Union has established on its foreign and security policy. It is highly important that the European Union has, through its Global Strategy, sent a message to the Western Balkans saying that the enlargement policy is an investment in Europe's security and prosperity.

The changes having occurred in Serbia's strategic environment brought up the necessity to update its key strategic documents on security and defence. The Republic of Serbia has initiated activities to update its strategic framework for security and defence. The Ministry of Defence has established an inter-sectoral Working Group to draft National Security and Defence Strategies, as well as the White Book on Defence, comprising representatives from various sectors mandated with a complex task of assessing challenges, risks and security threats from the perspective of the Republic of Serbia's strategic environment, defining at the same time policies and systems of national security and defence. The key orientation in the development of new documents includes comprehensive, integrated approach to security, military neutrality and the aspiration to join the European Union.

Through its active engagement in this field, Serbia has reaffirmed its credibility as a partner of the EU as well as the commitment to preserving stability in the region as well as in Europe, through its readiness to face new foreign policy and security challenges.

The translation of the EU Global Strategy is available on web-sites of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs http://www.mfa.gov.rs/ZPEU_web.pdf, the Institute of European Studies http://www.ies.rs/en/shared-vision-common-action-a-stronger-europe/, and the ISAC Fund http://isac-fund.org/download/ZPEU_web.pdf.