On 15 June, the United Kingdom officially celebrated King Charles’ birthday with a parade in London featuring over 1,400 soldiers, 400 musicians, and 200 horses.
"We Britons don’t have a national day like other countries, which says something about our long history of political stability and institutions that are a thousand years old, including our monarchy. There’s no obvious date to choose, so we celebrate our monarch’s birthday," Edward Ferguson, the British Ambassador to Serbia, explained to EUpravo Zato.
"This year, King Charles III turns 76. For us Britons, the King’s birthday is a day of national unity. For those of us in public service, it’s also a holiday and an extra day off, which is always welcome. Abroad, it’s customary for ambassadors to host grand celebrations for the King’s birthday. This year, our party’s theme is Wimbledon, the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament in the world. Thanks to Novak Djokovic, who has won it seven times, Wimbledon has become a significant connection point between the UK and Serbia."
While marking this important day for Britons, H.E. Mr Ferguson also spoke in the exclusive interview about the current relationship between the UK and Serbia, the UK’s support for Serbia’s path to the European Union, political stability in the Balkans, economic cooperation, new investments, and joint efforts to combat climate change.
How would you assess the current relationship between our two countries?
"I think our relations are good, but there’s always room for improvement. We’ve been friends for almost 200 years, and there have certainly been ups and downs during that time. However, if I compare our relationship today to the period of close cooperation and partnership during both World Wars, it’s clear there’s room to do more.
I’m very ambitious, as the British Ambassador, to invest efforts in building a modern, positive, forward-looking partnership with Serbia. The longer I’m here, the more opportunities I see, and truly great things are happening. Our trade has, for the first time, broken the £1 billion barrier over the past year. We collaborate in areas of defence and security, but above all, I’d like to see Serbs and Britons connect more, as we share many commonalities."
Your country has left the EU, yet it supports Serbia on its accession path. Why?
"Because Serbia’s EU membership is its strategic goal. As friends of Serbia, we want to help you achieve your national ambitions.
We remain a key player and partner to the European Union and want stability and prosperity for all our European neighbours and partners. The United Kingdom chose to leave the EU for its own reasons, based on our unique history and geography.
Serbia has chosen to join the EU for its own reasons, and that makes perfect sense. I believe the EU accession process can be very beneficial for Serbia because it can help build stronger democratic institutions, strengthen the judiciary, and develop more independent and high-quality media."
What do you think about political stability in the Balkans and Serbia’s role in it?
"Serbia is the largest country in the Western Balkans and has the biggest economy. This gives Serbia a significant responsibility for ensuring stability in the region. The United Kingdom wants to support stability wherever possible and will always work with anyone who strives for peace, stability, and prosperity.
I believe Serbia has a special, leading role in connecting with its neighbours and addressing some of the issues from the past, while also starting conversations that create opportunities for further cooperation in the future, as there are many possibilities.
One area I’m particularly excited about is economic cooperation and trade between our two countries. The fastest-growing part of this relationship is in modern, dynamic sectors of the economy, such as the digital sector and biotechnology.
"The UK has £5 billion earmarked for investments in major projects. This could help Serbia develop infrastructure, roads, and railways."
British experts from Imperial College London are helping Serbia develop its Bio4 campus. In the digital world, we see many startups in Serbia gradually building connections with London, which is Europe’s digital capital. I find this incredibly exciting. The UK has £5 billion allocated for investment in major projects to provide financial support.
This could benefit Serbia in several ways. Firstly, it could help develop infrastructure, roads, and railways to advance Serbia’s energy transition toward a greener future, with a stronger focus on renewable energy. This would be good for Serbia’s economy, society, and environment, while also opening doors for British companies that haven’t previously operated in this market."
Are there plans for new investments in Serbia?
"There are always investors interested in Serbia. For example, Hive Energy is building solar parks in Serbia. Large companies such as AstraZeneca are important for the pharmaceutical sector. There are also smaller companies coming to Serbia to take advantage of the excellent skills of your people, particularly in the digital sector.
We see significant engagement across various businesses and sectors, which I think is fantastic."
How is the UK helping Serbia in the fight against climate change?
H.E. Edward Ferguson observed that, compared to the UK, climate change is not a major political or social topic in Serbia, although it is the biggest concern for most young people in his country.
"We are truly committed to helping Serbia on its path and transition to a greener future. We do this in various ways. For example, in Kraljevo, we are promoting a new renewable energy-based heating system for hospitals, while also encouraging reforestation efforts in Serbia.
We work locally to improve the environment wherever possible. One thing we hope the Serbian government will implement very soon is the approval of a new national energy and climate plan.
There are significant targets, including that Serbia must have 45 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030. This is an ambitious goal, but we plan to support its achievement."