ON UNDERMINING UNIVERSITY AUTONOMY AND REVERSAL OF ALIGNMENT WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION IN NEGOTIATING CHAPTERS 25 AND 26

Belgrade, 1 April 2026

The European Movement in Serbia strongly condemns yesterday’s forced entry of security forces into the Rectorate of the University of Belgrade. This action represents further escalation of the authorities’ coercive approach towards universities, directly undermining academic freedoms and institutional autonomy, as well as the areas that Serbia has already formally aligned with European Union standards.

University autonomy constitutes an obligation of the state, not a discretionary power of the executive. Its violation does not represent a mere departure from European standards, but directly undermines functioning of the state, quality of education, and te long-term developmental capacities of society.

Politically instrumentalised institutional debates, conduct of extraordinary inspections, and presence of security forces within the premises of the University of Belgrade Rectorate constitute a clear escalation of repressive actions by the executive authorities towards academic institutions. Such actions exceed the bounds of legitimate oversight and represent an open and systemic political pressure on autonomous public higher education institutions. They also point to a concerning pattern of concentration of power and require an urgent response, as they are incompatible with the obligations of a country aspiring to become a member of the European Union.

These developments confirm the intention to complete an already established pattern whereby administrative, financial, and security mechanisms are systematically used to exert pressure on universities and academic community, further constraining space for free academic thought in Serbia. This pattern has been unfolding for nearly a year through politically motivated inspections and oversight procedures, centralisation and conditionality in allocation of funding for scientific and research activities, as well as through presence and involvement of security structures within the academic space. This creates an environment of legal uncertainty and institutional pressure, and systematically undermines separation of competences between the executive authorities and autonomous institutions, as well as the fundamental principles underpinning the European Higher Education Area.

Particularly concerning is the fact that these practices are taking place in areas that have already been formally aligned with EU standards, thus effectively reversing Serbia’s progress in the EU accession process. Negotiating Chapters 25 (Science and Research) and 26 (Education and Culture), the only chapters provisionally closed, are now directly undermined by actions of the authorities. Through erosion of university autonomy, restrictions on scientific work, impediments to international cooperation, and sustained pressure on the academic community, these developments constitute a systemic departure from European standards and directly undermine Serbia’s credibility in the EU accession process.

In this context, the European Movement in Serbia calls for:

• immediate cessation of political pressure on universities, including extraordinary inspections and the involvement of security bodies in the academic sphere,
• repeal of all normative and administrative measures that limit university autonomy, alongside establishment of a legally secure and transparent system for managing funding for science and international projects, free from political interference,
• full protection of an independent and merit-based system for decision-making in financing of science and research,
• alignment of quality assurance and accreditation systems with European standards, ensuring the institutional independence of the relevant bodies,
• safeguarding of professional and institutional independence of teaching staff, researchers, and university governance structures,
• immediate cessation of all forms of pressure on academic staff and institutions.

We demand from the responsible institutions in Serbia to immediately halt all repressive and politically motivated measures and practices, including extraordinary inspections without a clear legal basis, selective application of administrative powers, financial conditionality imposed on universities, and the use of security structures within the academic space, and to repeal all decisions that place the higher education system under political, administrative, and financial pressure.

We expect from the institutions of the European Union and other democratic actors a clear, active, and timely response, including concrete engagement in halting further backsliding and restoring previously achieved level of alignment in Chapters 25 and 26. This concerns not only the credibility of the EU accession process, but also the protection of the country’s fundamental social and developmental capacities, the further erosion of which has immediate and long-term consequences for the citizens of Serbia.