U Serbia there are challenges in the functioning of democratic institutions due to the increasingly polarized political situation at the national and local levels, the report stated of the European Commission which was published on Tuesday.
The report mentions the fall of the canopy and the protests that followed, the attack on representatives of the media and civil society, and the elections in Zaječar and Kosjerić.
It is stated that "tragic fall" of the canopy at the train station in Novi Sad on November 1, 2024, which killed 16 people, sparked "massive student and civic protests and blockades across the country that continue."
"The authorities generally allowed the protests to take place, and the police provided security during the protests, although there were several incidents and attacks on students and peaceful protesters, including attacks that resulted in serious injuries, cases of fleeing the scene of a traffic accident, and other physical attacks," the Report stated.
"The government is undermining the legitimacy of the issues raised by students and citizens"
It also noted that incidents had intensified over the summer, "including vandalism and attacks on the property of individuals and businesses considered supporters of the protests."
It was pointed out that there were also cases of attacks on "unprotected premises of the ruling party".
"In late June, authorities adopted a more repressive approach, including numerous arrests and reports of excessive use of force against protesters. State officials often portrayed the protests as 'colored revolution' supported by foreign countries with the aim of overthrowing the country's constitutional order, thus undermining the legitimacy of the issues raised by students and citizens," the Report stated.
The document mentions that he is the president of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić granted pardons to several individuals responsible for attacks on students and student protesters, "protecting them from prosecution."
"Violated faculty institutional autonomy and academic freedom"
It was also stated that "all key state universities were blocked, and classes were suspended for months."
The European Commission also reminded of the introduction of measures Government of Serbia which "violated the institutional autonomy of the faculty and academic freedom", i.e. that salaries for teaching and academic staff were temporarily reduced and working hours dedicated to research were limited.
"When it comes to electoral reform, priority recommendations OSCE/ODIHR have yet to be implemented", the report stated and pointed out that they entail "separation of state and party, inclusiveness and comprehensiveness of electoral reform, revision of the voter list and transparency of data from the voter list, greater oversight of election campaigns and their financing, as well as measures to enable freedom and independence of the media".
"During the reporting period, no national elections were held, and the Constitutional Court has not yet made decisions on the opposition's proposals contesting the extraordinary parliamentary and local elections from December 2023. In June 2025, regular local elections were held elections in the municipalities of Zaječar and Kosjerić, and according to domestic observers from civil society organizations, they were 'neither free nor fair' and were held in an atmosphere of 'fear and repression, marked by institutional pressure, violence and a large police presence in front of polling stations throughout the day'", it was stated.
"Sometimes the impartial reaction of the Speaker of the Parliament was lacking"
It was emphasized that the efficiency, autonomy and transparency of the work of the parliament, as well as the role of the parliamentary opposition, must be strengthened, with assessments that the sessions are rare and with a "lack of genuine political debate".
"Sometimes the impartial reaction of the speaker of the parliament, as foreseen by the procedural rules, was lacking at the parliamentary sessions, due to the direct exchange of opinions with the opposition, and almost all the laws and bills adopted by the parliament were proposed by the government," the report stated.
In the Report of the European Commission, it reminds of the changes in the Government of Serbia after the fall of the canopy, i.e. the resignation of two ministers, and then the prime minister after the violent physical attack on students in January of this year.
"The public is intensively discussing powers of the president of the state, that is, the concern that the political debate and decision-making in practice is led by the president in a way that is not provided for by the Constitution," it was stated.
"Complaints have been filed about the use of spyware targeting human rights defenders and journalists, cases of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP) have increasingly hindered the work of civil society organizations. Verbal attacks and smear campaigns against civil society organizations that advocate for the rule of law have intensified since the beginning of the protests, and several foreign representatives of civil society, including those from EU member states, have been detained and expelled from Serbia," the Report says.
It was also stated that in March the parliamentary committee for the supervision of the security services discussed the allegations of the use of a sound device during the mass protest on March 15 in Belgrade and rejected such claims.
"Representatives of the Civil Security Agency (BIA) claimed that an 'attempted color revolution' was taking place in Serbia, and during mass student and civil protests, there were reports that the BIA was detaining and inviting citizens, students and activists for informational interviews," concludes the European Commission Report.
