European Social Democrats Back Students and Citizens Fighting for Democracy in Serbia

Serbian students in Strasbourg, April 16 2025 (BETAPHOTO/European Council/Candice Imbert)

The European Social Democrats adopted a resolution on Oct. 17 at a Party of European Socialists (PES) Congress reaffirming their determination to defend democracy, human rights, and the rule of law across Europe and its neighborhood, while voicing support for civil society, social movements, and citizens fighting for democracy, including students in Serbia.

“We strongly express our firm solidarity with Serbian students who since last November have been challenging President Aleksandar Vucic’s regime and are still demanding democracy and the rule of law,” reads the document titled, “Promoting Peace, Prosperity, and Inclusion in Europe and Its Neighborhood,” adopted at the PES Congress in Amsterdam.

The Resolution, published on the website of the PES Congress, held from Oct. 16 to Oct. 18, warns that “democratic backsliding in several EU candidate countries poses a serious challenge to their European integration prospects,” underlining that last year’s “tragedy in Novi Sad exposed a corrupt climate and weakened democratic checks and balances, further eroding transparency and accountability in Serbia’s institutions.”

The document also refers to Bosnia and Herzegovina and condemns the separatist actions of Milorad Dodik and his allies, and calls for targeted sanctions against those undermining the country’s constitutional order and sovereignty. The Resolution reaffirms full support to Bosnia’s EU accession, welcoming also the “progress and reforms in EU candidate countries, like Albania, Montenegro, and Kosovo, which continue to resolve critical issues, including transparency and institutional reforms.