Serbian PM, EU Delegation Head Hold Emergency Meeting

(BETAPHOTO/VLADA SRBIJE)

Serbian Prime Minister Djuro Macut held an emergency meeting which he initiated on April 21 with EU Delegation to Serbia Head Andreas von Beckerath while the subject of the meeting "was primarily securing an equal relationship and the uniform representation of the academic community outside Serbia," the Serbian Cabinet has said.

The meeting was held a day after Belgrade University Rector Vladan Djokic met with European Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos in Brussels where he attended an international conference of universities under the EU's auspices.

Macut and Beckerath talked about "the key issues of the stability of the academic community and advancing cooperation with EU institutions."

The prime minister stressed "the need to harmonize the presentation of the academic community," stressing that "any appearance in its name requires a harmonized platform of all representatives in Serbia, for the purpose of avoiding its further politicization and polarization."

Macut said that this was "key and essential to preserving the stability of the academic community which was reached with great difficulty after the period in 2025 when the the operation of all state academic institutions was blocked."

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on April 20 that the EU had "violated the principles of rule of law" by Kos meeting Rector Djokic, saying that they held a political discussion and that the rector had no right to deal in politics.