Like the University of Belgrade, HU is a member of the European University Alliance Circle U. Mass protests have been taking place in Belgrade for the past six months, which began as student protests. At an online event on 6 June 2025 on the topic of "Voices of Resistance: The Role of Student Protests in Shaping Serbia's Future", students and teachers from the University of Belgrade discussed the situation at universities in Serbia with students and teachers from Circle U.
The European University Alliance Circle U. had already published a statement on the developments in Serbia in January 2025. Since then, HU has received many reports from partners, students and teachers on the ground. They report on how the situation continues to deteriorate.
Situation at the universities in Serbia
The current demands of students from various political backgrounds in Serbia emerged after the train station accident in Novi Sad on 1 November 2024. The accident, which claimed 16 lives, sparked protests in Serbia, which initially demanded an investigation into the accident, but have since grown into mass protests.
The reports paint a picture of the dramatic difficulties facing the academic community in Serbia. The University of Belgrade in particular continues to be the centre of attention.
There are reports of several indictments against the rector of the University of Belgrade, massive salary cuts for lecturers across the country, physical attacks on students and defamation in the media, which threaten academic freedom and the independence of universities. The pressure on staff who show solidarity with the students has increased considerably. Many of them fear for their jobs and appointments. Some colleagues in Serbia described how the state sometimes only pays lecturers the legal minimum of 435 euros as a salary; the basis for calculating the distribution of payments was changed from 50 per cent research and 50 per cent teaching to 12.5 per cent for research and 87.5 per cent for teaching. New laws that would mean the loss of a large part of university autonomy are in preparation. Authorisations are also to be granted to representative offices of foreign universities, which would then receive state funding and would not have to undergo an accreditation procedure, thus creating competition with state institutions. Many universities are also being pressurised to switch to online courses, with the threat that otherwise no new students will be admitted.
In one of the most recent incidents, a professor and a security guard at the Belgrade Faculty of Law were injured and had to be hospitalised after being beaten by a student who had opposed the blockades. Various statements on the incident, including from the University of Belgrade, have blamed the coordinated and aggressive media campaign against the protests in the country.
The measures and incidents have a massive impact on the autonomy of universities and pose a serious threat to academic freedom. The situation in Serbia reflects a broader global development, as the independence of academic institutions is coming under increasing pressure in many regions of the world. Academic freedom and the autonomy of universities are essential for innovation, critical thinking and social progress. Restricting these cornerstones jeopardises not only education, but also democratic development and social cohesion.
The overall social discourse that takes place at universities and beyond should be free from threats and political influence.