- Student protests in Serbia continue even after government stepdown
Serbian students continue blocking universities and picketing transport hubs, demanding accountability for those responsible for the tragedy in Novi Sad on November 1, where a canopy collapsed at the city’s train station, killing 15.
More than 60 departments at five state universities, two private departments, and four vocational colleges have been shut down amid protests.
On January 30-31, hundreds of students from Belgrade marched to Novi Sad, where they joined a rally on February 1 to mark the three-month anniversary of the tragedy. Protesters in Novi Sad blocked two bridges over the Danube for several hours, while the Freedom Bridge remained blocked for more than a day.
The students’ protests are joined by schoolchildren, lecturers, teachers, ordinary citizens, trade unions, public organizations representing farmers, lawyers, medics, transport workers, pensioners, art associations, as well as military veterans.
Rallies in support of the students are also being held by the Serbian diaspora in Europe, the US, and Canada.
The students’ demands remain unchanged. These include the release of all paperwork on the reconstruction of the Novi Sad railway station, dropping of charges against detained participants in previous protests, prosecution of all those who attacked protesters, and a 20 percent increase in the higher education budget.
The authorities believe they have met all of the students’ demands, but protesters note that none of them have been met in full.
The student protests have not stopped even after the resignation of Prime Minister Miloš Vučević.
Currently, the Serbian authorities are faced with a choice – to elect a new government, relying on the existing ruling majority in parliament, or to declare early parliamentary elections.
- Croatia to provide military assistance to Ukraine
The Croatian government adopted late January the decision on the 12th package of military assistance to Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine thanked Croatia for the latest aid package in an address released on social media.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal stressed during a government meeting in Kyiv: “Croatia is one of our important allies in Europe, which has been actively helping us in various areas. First of all, they provide military support. The Croatian government has decided to allocate another package of military and technical assistance. In the near future, these weapons will strengthen our army on the battlefield. We are grateful to the Croatian government and the Croatian people for this.”
In late January, the head of the Ukrainian government paid his first official visit to Zagreb.
After meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković stressed that Croatia’s support for the Ukrainian Armed Forces will remain in place. At the same time, Plenković stressed that, “despite manipulations,” Ukraine does not need Croatian troops in Ukraine. Ukraine needs economic and military support to protect its territory, he stressed.
Plenković recalled that the distance “from Ukraine to Croatia is only 400 kilometers, and from Russia it’s 1,200,” and “any failure on the part of Ukraine would pose a great risk for the rest of Europe.”
“Our political support is firm and consistent – in all international forums and bilaterally. We support them economically, humanitarianly, technically and militarily. We will continue to do so as we believe that this is the only correct policy. As a victim of aggression, we understand best what is happening to Ukraine,” Plenković noted.
- From May 5, Israel opens visa-free access to Kosovo citizens
The decision was made four years after Israel recognized the state of Kosovo and established diplomatic relations with the country.
“Starting May 5, 2025, Kosovo nationals will be able to travel to Israel as tourists without a visa,” stated Israeli Ambassador to Kosovo Tamar Ziv.
Israel recognized Kosovo on February 1, 2021, following the signing of the Washington Agreement.
The document, officially titled the Agreement on Economic Normalization between Kosovo and Serbia, in two versions for the Kosovo and Serbian sides, was signed by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and then-Prime Minister of Kosovo Avdula Hoti on September 4, 2020 at the White House in the presence of then-and-current U.S. President Donald Trump.
The normalization between Israel and Kosovo was part of the Washington Agreement.
- Kosovo signs free trade deal with European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries.
EFTA includes Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
The agreement was reached after more than two years of negotiations.
The signing ceremony took place on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
EFTA members and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said the deal would be mutually beneficial.
Goods originating in Kosovo will be exported to EFTA countries and local companies will be exempted from customs duties on them. Until now, Kosovo manufacturers have had to pay up to 10 percent additional duty.
Trade between EFTA states and Kosovo has been growing rapidly since 2008, reaching over EUR 176 million in 2023. The main EFTA exports to Kosovo in 2023 included vehicles, pharmaceuticals, equipment, and tobacco. In the same year, Kosovo’s exports to EFTA countries consisted mainly of furniture, plastics, iron and steel products, as well as wood products.
- EU Council appoints Sørensen as Special Representative for Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue.
The Danish diplomat took up his duties on February 1 with an initial mandate of 13 months.
Peter Sørensen is expected to focus exclusively on the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, while his predecessor, Miroslav Lajčák of Slovakia, was also responsible for other regional issues.
Lajčák’s mandate expired on January 31.
The EU-led dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, which began in 2011, has not yet led to the full implementation of the agreements reached. The task of the new European Union Special Representative will be to promote comprehensive normalization between Serbia and Kosovo, primarily through the implementation of the Agreement on the Path to Normalization and the Implementation Annex, adopted in February and March 2023 under the EU mediation. Given the challenging conditions for the settlement between Belgrade and Pristina, which have been complicated by the parliamentary campaign in Kosovo and large-scale anti-government protests in Serbia, political experts expect little progress in the dialogue, especially at the start of Peter Sørensen’s mandate.
- Montenegro resumes inquiry into 1990s war crimes
The Special State Prosecutor’s Office (SDT) in Montenegro has announced the resumption of the investigation into war crimes committed on the territory of Montenegro during the wars in the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s.
It plans to revisit four cases: the camp for Croatian prisoners of war in Morin (Bay of Kotor); the murders and expulsion of the Muslim (Bosnian) population in Bukovica near Pljevlja; the ambush of a convoy of Albanian refugees from Kosovo in Kaludjerski Laz (Rožaje), which resulted in 22 deaths; and the deportation of several dozen Bosniak refugees to Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina), where the absolute majority of them were killed.
Four individuals were previously convicted in the Morin camp case; all suspects in the other cases were acquitted.
Special investigation teams have now been set up to review cases in light of new evidence from the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, the successor to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. The Mechanism’s data was transferred to the Special Prosecutor’s Office of Montenegro in September 2024.
Investigating war crimes from the 1990s and bringing perpetrators to justice is an important area for ensuring the success of Montenegro’s negotiations with the European Union under Chapter 23 – Judiciary and Fundamental Rights.
