Serbia’s European Hour – Lost time or a new opportunity?

On 18 September 2025, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., the European Movement in Serbia, in collaboration with the European Democratic Party, is organising a public debate entitled “Serbia’s European Hour – Lost Time or New Opportunity?” at the Europe House in Belgrade (Zmaj Jovina 8).
The meeting will bring together representatives of civil society, the media, youth organisations, European representatives and diplomats to address a crucial issue: the concrete prospects for Serbia’s accession to the European Union in a context marked by the crisis of the rule of law under the presidency of Aleksandar Vučić, which has led to a worrying season of violent repression of peaceful student protests and restrictions on press freedom. This contradiction will be at the centre of the debate, together with the confidence of Serbian citizens in the European project and, more generally, the future of Europe and who will be its protagonists in the coming years.
Speakers will include representatives of the student movement, Sandro Gozi, MEP for Renew Europe and Secretary-General of the European Democratic Party, Bojana Selaković, Coordinator of the National Convention on the EU, Nemanja Štiplija, Director of European Western Balkans, and Katarina Bogićević, President of the Youth Forum of the European Movement in Serbia and JEF Serbia. On the sidelines of the event, Sandro Gozi will meet with representatives of student and youth movements, civil society and the Serbian opposition.
‘Serbia’s accession to the European Union is not only an opportunity for Belgrade, but for the whole of Europe,’ said Sandro Gozi. “Serbia is Europe, and the future of the Union inevitably lies in the Western Balkans. This requires a clear political commitment to strengthen the rule of law and restore the confidence of Serbian citizens in the European project, which has been undermined by President Vučić and his failures. I am particularly pleased that students will be present: the real challenge lies in their hands, because they will be the ones to build the Europe of tomorrow. This is not a waste of time: it is time to act with courage and a common vision.”
To underline the importance of this participation, the Renew Europe parliamentary group has nominated the Serbian student movement for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. As Gozi wrote in his letter of invitation to the young activists, “your courage, determination and democratic spirit are not only admirable, but a source of inspiration for all Europeans. Your struggle embodies freedom of thought, dignity and democracy in their deepest essence.