site.btaEU Enlargement Commissioner Kos Meets Protesting Students in Novi Sad

European Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos met protesting students in the northern city of Novi Sad, Serbia, on Wednesday. Kos, who arrived in Serbia on Tuesday night and already met President Aleksandar Vucic, announced her meeting with the students on the social media platform X and posted photos with them.

Kos noted that what the EU is asking from Serbia's government is very similar to the demands of the citizens who have been protesting across the country since a deadly train station collapse in Novi Sad in November last year.

“To the students in Novi Sad: I hear you,” Kos wrote in her post. She added that she would like “to reiterate that what the EU asks from Serbia closely aligns with the demands of the citizens protesting."

"Most importantly, I want you, the young generation to benefit from the many opportunities the EU has to offer,” she wrote.

The head of the EU delegation to Serbia, Emanuele Giaufret, and his deputy Plamena Halacheva joined the meeting in Novi Sad.

The students who are part of the blockade of the Faculty of Technical Sciences in Novi Sad, also published a message on X, saying that they held “a constructive meeting with the EU Enlargement Commissioner.” They added that they would publish more information on the talks at a later period.

A wave of protests, led by students, swept Serbia after the collapse of the train station canopy in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad on November 1, killing 16 people. Students blockaded some 60 faculties across the country. According to the protesters, the tragedy occurred because of corrupt practices that led to shoddy repairs at the station. They demand that those responsible for the tragedy face political and penal consequences, and that institutions be allowed to work without political pressure and influence.