Student Protests in Serbia and Democratic Hopes in Eastern Europe

Student Protests in Serbia and Democratic Hopes in Eastern Europe

Andrew Corrow, 2025-26 Iowa UNA College Ambassador from Drake University

An earlier version of this blog appeared in the December 2025 edition of Advocacy News, the Iowa UNA’s biannual newsletter.

In the years following the collapse of Yugoslavia and the various crises throughout the Balkans that followed, some may be tempted to view a consistent democratic stability as beyond the reach of many of the countries in the region. One could point to the fact that only two of countries emerging from the former Yugoslavia—Croatia and Slovenia—have joined the European Union. However, in recent years, hopes for democratic stability and peace have reemerged in this region, particularly in Serbia, with student protests leading the charge towards a future democratic stabilization.

The freedoms of Serbian citizens have long been limited. On the most recent Freedom House rankings, Serbia received a 56/100, with many civil and political freedoms being curtailed. Much of this dissipation of freedoms has occurred under the leadership of Serbia’s current president, Aleksander Vučić. Vučić has become perhaps best known among many in the west for his closeness with Russian President Vladimir Putin, continuing to establish trade deals with the Russian dictator even following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. Vučić’s relationship with Putin has been met with chagrin in the European Union, which Vučić has ambition for Serbia to join, because much of the EU has sought to economically and politically isolate Putin following his invasion of Ukraine. Vučić has also proven his willingness to inflame ethnic tensions within the region, such as when praising one of his predecessors, noted war criminal Slobodan Milošević , as a ‘great’ leader.

However, for more than a year, the strength of Vučić’s leadership has come into question. This follows the advent of expansive student protests that have persisted into 2026, with their prominence and their numbers growing. Technically speaking, the protests were caused by a railway station collapse, which killed 16 people in November of 2024. However, it would be an oversimplification to point to this single event as the impetus for almost a year’s worth of highly organized and effective protest. The station collapse became a symbol for all the discontents held by the Serbian people under the Vučić government. This partly has to do with the historical and cultural importance of the collapsed station to many in Serbia. Given the emphasis the Vučić government has placed on infrastructure, this incident serves to underscore the calamitous failures of his regime. Vučić’s main response to these protests has been a mix of ignorance and intimidation. During protests in September 2025, Vučić attended a military parade in Beijing, then later also staged his own military parade in Belgrade that same month. 

Vučić’s militarism and intimidation tactics have not served to restrict the protests. The protests have been ongoing despite of Vučić’s weaponization of police and law enforcement to intimidate the protestors, including using violent and excessive force against the students who are leading these protests. Internationally, the protests have served to further isolate the Vučić government. Despite Vučić’s own ambitions for Serbia to eventually join the European Union, the protests have only further illuminated the limitations of freedoms which predated the protests, with EU leaders taking notice of the protests and calling upon the Serb government to move towards greater freedoms for its citizens.

On an international stage, these protests should not be taken as just a domestic matter of the Serbian government, nor as an isolated incident. The protests indicate the desire of the Serbian people to move towards a freer society and an accountable government. In the context of the United Nations and other international institutions, one can also see the protests as a hope for an eventual change in governmental attitudes towards international cooperation. The position of the European Parliament indicates the EU’s support for the protestors, showing that the protestors may represent a new path for Serbia, moving closer to a spirit of democratic stability and international cooperation.