site.btaCompromise with Universities Touted As Biggest Achievement of Serbian Government in 2025

Serbian Prime Minister Djuro Macut has assessed that the most significant success for the Serbian government in 2025 was reaching a compromise with universities after more than 60 faculties were blocked by students, according to the Tanjug news agency.

At the end of 2024, students occupied over 60 faculties across the country in response to the tragedy in Novi Sad on November 1, when the concrete canopy of the railway station collapsed, killing 16 people and seriously injuring one. Serbia was swept by mass anti-government protests led by students who called for early parliamentary elections alongside anti-corruption demands. However, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic refused to schedule elections.

In April, the government led by Macut began negotiations with academic leaders to resume the academic process at universities, and the blockades were lifted during the summer months.

According to Serbian media reports, the State University in Novi Pazar (southwestern Serbia) is the only higher education institution in Serbia that is currently under student control and where classes are not being held.  Students are demanding the removal of the university's current leadership, and some lecturers claim that they have lost their jobs because of their support for the protesting students.