Statement by European Civic Forum and Balkan Civil Society Development Network, published on 06/03/2025 – accessible here.
In the recent months, civic space in Serbia has come under severe attack. The repression has intensified following mass protests sparked by the tragic collapse of the newly renovated train station in Novi Sad on 1 November 2024, which claimed 15 lives and left two others seriously injured. This devastating incident exposed systemic corruption and negligence within public institutions. In response, people have taken to the streets not only to demand accountability for the tragedy but also to call for broader structural societal reforms.
Rather than listening to these legitimate expressions of grief and demands for change, the Serbian government has escalated its crackdown on civil society. Peaceful protesters have faced arbitrary arrests, surveillance, intimidation, and police violence, with the latest development being the possible use of sonic weapons against demonstrators. Civil society organisations have been subjected to smear campaigns and increasing legal and administrative harassment.
As a result of this alarming deterioration in civic space, Serbia was placed on the CIVICUS Monitor Watchlist in March 2025. CIVICUS has highlighted the rapid decline of civic space and the suppression of protest movements as key drivers of concern. Read a full briefing here. In this context, representatives of European civil society from over 130 organisations express their solidarity with the people of Serbia amid escalating repression in a joint statement coordinated by the European Civic Forum and Balkan Civil Society Development Network. The CSOs call for clearer messages and concrete actions from the EU institutions to show people and CSOs in Serbia that they are not alone in this fight, and that the EU truly upholds the values the institutions claim to stand for.
Read the full civil society statement here.
