Serbia borderscapes
By Dragan Umek
Between 13 and 17 July 2025, Claudio and I conducted field visits in southern Serbia, specifically in the districts of Vranje, Bujanovac and Preševo — the three municipalities bordering Kosovo and North Macedonia. We were accompanied by a local organisation and our research focused mainly on border areas affected by informal crossings between Serbia and North Macedonia.
On the first day, we began by visiting the area north-east of the motorway and the main border crossing (Tabanovce), where the Serbian authorities had erected a double fence. In the morning we passed through the Serbian villages Strezovac and Slavujevac, while in the afternoon we visited a predominantly Albanian-speaking area near the Miratovac village. A brief visit to Preševo and informal conversations with locals allowed us learn about the current situation in this area, which is was heavily patrolled by border police.
On the second day of our fieldwork, we left Serbia and travelled along a section of the route that runs through Kosovo. We visited several towns, before re-entering North Macedonia, and continuing on to Serbia, through a route passing another section of the border.
The following day, we returned to Belgrade for a series of meetings with local experts and NGO staff.