Slovenia and Croatia: small EU markets with global teams
Ljubljana and Zagreb both host a mix of homegrown tech companies and international teams drawn by lower costs and strong technical universities. Slovenia in particular has a dense concentration of gaming, ad-tech, and fintech companies relative to its population.
Serbia sits outside the EU
Belgrade and Novi Sad have become major regional engineering hubs, especially for outsourcing and remote-first companies, but Serbia's immigration process runs independently of EU rules since it isn't a member state. Non-EU applicants need a Serbian work and residence permit; the process is generally straightforward for a role with a signed local contract, but timelines vary.
What to expect day to day
All three offer a notably lower cost of living than Western Europe, with growing English-speaking expat communities in the tech sector. Coastal Croatia and Slovenia's mountains are within easy weekend-trip distance from any of the main tech hubs, which matters for people relocating for lifestyle reasons as much as career ones.