The debate on the situation in Serbia was supposed to take place during the January session in Strasbourg from 27 to 31 January, but the Monitoring Committee was busy. Apart from informal, individual visits, the PACE Monitoring Committee rapporteurs for Serbia have not made an official visit to the National Assembly and Serbia for years, in fact since July 2017. Victoria Tiblom from Sweden was elected rapporteur about twenty days ago, while Axel Schäfer from Germany has held that position since December 2022 and is unlikely to stay in it for long, as elections are due to be held in Germany soon. The last resolution on Serbia’s compliance with its obligations and rights, which the rapporteurs for Serbia were tasked with preparing, was adopted in early 2012.

We would like to remind you that the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure has published on the website of the Government of the Republic of Serbia the entire documentation regarding the canopy collapse in Novi Sad. Public prosecutors' offices on the territory of the Republic of Serbia have urgently initiated criminal proceedings against 37 persons for attacks on students and professors - against 26 persons in Belgrade, 8 persons in Novi Sad, 2 persons in Sabac and 1 person in Vrsac.

The President’s pardoning decisions, which were submitted to the Ministry of Justice for further procedures, fulfilled the third demand of the students, which was the dismissal of criminal charges against the students arrested and detained during the protests, as well as the suspension of criminal proceedings that had already been initiated. Finally, at the session held on 12 December, the Government of the Republic of Serbia decided to increase the budget for 2025 by 20% compared to the funds allocated in 2024, which was the last of the students’ demands.

The Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad has filed an indictment against 13 persons for whom there is reasonable suspicion that they committed the criminal acts described in the indictment, which led to the collapse of the canopy of the Novi Sad railway station on 1 November 2024, tragically killing fifteen people and seriously injuring two. Also, by order of the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office, the Public Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime will conduct an investigation into corruption-related criminal acts related to the works at the Novi Sad Railway Station.

The President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, has repeatedly called the students to dialogue, and on 3 February 2025, he also called on the Rector's Collegium of the University of Belgrade for discussion and dialogue for the benefit of Serbia. On 27 December 2024, the Supreme Public Prosecutor Zagorka Dolovac repeated the invitation she had sent on 25 December 2024, to representatives of the student protest to hold a meeting with her and the public prosecutors of the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office without delay to discuss and provide information on the three requests submitted to the Public Prosecutor's Office. The Minister of Education, Prof. Dr Slavica Djukic Dejanovic, has repeatedly called on the students blocking higher education institutions to discussion and dialogue. These calls to dialogue were not accepted.

Since the student protests and roadblocks began, the Ministry of the Interior has increased the police presence on the ground, especially at key locations where student protests and roadblocks have taken place. The police have ensured that protest activities are in accordance with the law and at the same time monitored any potential incidents. The police have been tasked with ensuring the safety of protest participants, as well as preventing any attacks on demonstrators or police officers. In these cases, the Ministry has cooperated with protest organizers to avoid confrontations and ensure peaceful proceedings.

"The situation in Serbia is a reflection of social processes and peaceful democratic development, if we exclude rare and sporadic incidents, which necessarily occur when it comes to street protests. The issue of accountability and the fight against corruption have been widely raised and will lead to improved work of institutions and greater trust of citizens, and Serbia will emerge from this phase stronger and better," said Biljana Pantic Pilja, head of the Serbian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.