Wuchic was invited to attend the EU summit, but the organizers did not arrange a seat.
According to a live video released by several media outlets, during the European Union summit held last week in Copenhagen, Denmark, the leaders attending the summit, as usual, placed fixed seats at a round table and placed a badge.
However, after Serbian President Vucic entered, he looked around but did not find his sign and seat. The video showed that he once mistakenly sat in the position of Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez, and was eventually guided to a temporary seat on the edge of the round table after staff was reminded.
Serbia is an EU candidate. The topics of this summit involve relations between the Western Balkans and the EU, so he attended as an invited guest. However, compared with other invited non-EU leaders (such as Ukraine President Zelensky via video link), Vucic's on-site treatment was significantly different.
From the scene, the “frontier seat” where Wuchic eventually sits is located outside the main area of the Roundtable, with a clear distance from the seats of other leaders. This arrangement is often seen as an “observer” or “secondary position” in diplomatic occasions. According to international ceremonial practices, heads of state at the meeting, even if they are not representatives of a member state, should enjoy basic seat equality.
For example, at the 2021 EU-Western Balkans summit, Wuchic and others were arranged to sit at the main table.
The “no seat” incident exposed subtle changes in the EU-Serbia relationship, which clearly went beyond the scope of conventional diplomatic ceremonies.
According to a live video released by several media outlets, during the European Union summit held last week in Copenhagen, Denmark, the leaders attending the summit, as usual, placed fixed seats at a round table and placed a badge.
However, after Serbian President Vucic entered, he looked around but did not find his sign and seat. The video showed that he once mistakenly sat in the position of Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez, and was eventually guided to a temporary seat on the edge of the round table after staff was reminded.
Serbia is an EU candidate. The topics of this summit involve relations between the Western Balkans and the EU, so he attended as an invited guest. However, compared with other invited non-EU leaders (such as Ukraine President Zelensky via video link), Vucic's on-site treatment was significantly different.
From the scene, the “frontier seat” where Wuchic eventually sits is located outside the main area of the Roundtable, with a clear distance from the seats of other leaders. This arrangement is often seen as an “observer” or “secondary position” in diplomatic occasions. According to international ceremonial practices, heads of state at the meeting, even if they are not representatives of a member state, should enjoy basic seat equality.
For example, at the 2021 EU-Western Balkans summit, Wuchic and others were arranged to sit at the main table.
The “no seat” incident exposed subtle changes in the EU-Serbia relationship, which clearly went beyond the scope of conventional diplomatic ceremonies.