Joint letter: 10 months later, Serbian youth demand accountability, democracy, and ask for European support

It has now been over ten months since the tragic collapse of the canopy at Novi Sad train station that claimed 16 lives. Since then, young people have been at the forefront of a historic movement in Serbia, demanding accountability and rule of law. For exercising their fundamental rights, they have faced repression, orchestrated provocations to violence and police brutality, including a new wave of attacks in mid-August that raised international attention.

At the same time, there are signs of hope. Serbian youth are reshaping the country’s political culture. 60% of young people in Serbia–the highest share since our research began in 2017–believe democracy is the best form of governance.

Similarly, 51% of young people in Serbia firmly oppose the idea of the need for a “strong leader”, which makes a striking reversal from previous years. In 2024, for instance, only 28% opposed it. Having seen multiple autocratic leaders throughout its history, this could be a turning point which marks a significant shift towards young people demanding institutions that are more accountable, transparent, and uphold the principles of rule of law, effectively rendering one-person rule regimes obsolete.

Young people in Serbia know this crisis is first and foremost a domestic political question. However, Serbia is also an EU candidate country with legal and political obligations. In May, the European Youth Forum member organisations adopted a Motion by KOMS calling on EU institutions to vocally support the student protests and to hold Serbian authorities accountable to their obligations under Cluster 1: Fundamentals of the EU accession framework.

While we are grateful for your words of encouragement, we must express concern that similar support has not been echoed by other EU representatives. Indeed, while we see an increase in support for EU accession among youth to 40% and a decrease in opposition to 32% according to the report, young people also perceive the EU’s response to the deterioration of democracy and rule of law in Serbia as unsatisfactory.

We must stress that continued inaction risks leading young people to perceive the EU as implicitly endorsing the current situation in Serbia. Such a perception not only erodes youth trust in European institutions but also jeopardizes the efforts in protecting and enhancing the democratic values at the core of the accession process.

Furthermore, we caution that in the coming months repression by Serbian authorities is likely to intensify, as pressure mounts to force universities and high schools back into normal operation. The methods of repression are too many to list here. With no tangible resolution to demands for accountability over the Novi Sad train station event, numerous social actors—including student plenaries and opposition parties—have been urging for early elections as an exit from this crisis.

The youth of Serbia remain committed to building a democratic future as part of the European family. We urge you, and the European Commission more broadly, to act decisively in support of this effort.

Yours sincerely,

• Rareș Voicu, President, European Youth Forum
• Velimir Milošev, President, National Youth Council of Serbia