What Can Serbia’s University Community Teach Europe?
On Sunday, the old order fell in Serbia’s elections. After nearly two years of student-led protests, preliminary results indicate that the student electoral list secured a parliamentary majority, challenging the authoritarian political system that has governed the country for more than a decade.
Serbia’s students, artists and university community have shown extraordinary courage in defending democracy and academic freedom. One prominent figure has been Mirjana Nikolić, Rector of the University of Arts in Belgrade, who has steadfastly defended university autonomy and students’ rights despite intense political pressure. The significance of this courage extends far beyond Serbia’s borders.
This historic election result follows a long and troubling period marked by extensive political control over universities and the arts, politically motivated appointments, restrictions on artistic and academic freedom, severe funding cuts, and pressure on students and academic staff.
The student movement began after the canopy of Novi Sad railway station collapsed in November 2024, killing 16 people. Demands for justice and accountability grew into a nationwide movement for democracy, the rule of law and social justice.
A History of Courage
European history reminds us of the power of education, culture and civic courage. In 1989, students, artists and intellectuals helped transform the political landscape of Central and Eastern Europe. Václav Havel wrote of living in truth.
Today, too, young people across Europe are demanding change. In Paris and elsewhere in France, students have mobilised to defend the future of education and equal opportunities, while in Tirana, Albania, students have protested against the cost of education, poor study conditions and corruption. Some of these protests have also involved violent clashes.
Serbia is writing a new chapter in this European history.
Around the world, academic freedom, freedom of artistic expression and institutional independence face growing pressure. Democracy needs strong institutions, but it also needs people willing to defend the values on which those institutions rest.
Imagination Must Lead to Action
Serbia’s students have moved from protest to political action, from making demands to taking responsibility. Their victorious electoral list includes a substantial number of people with no previous experience in party politics. They have decided to bring about the very change they have been demanding.
They have had no time for five-year roadmaps and endless workshops. They have had to act, make decisions, take risks and build a future amid uncertainty. At the same time, they have had to imagine a different kind of society and believe that it is possible.
For us as universities, this raises a fundamental question: are we educating young people to adapt to the world as it is, or equipping them to imagine and build the world as it could be? Do we lead by example in turning ideas into action?
The arts and scholarship strengthen precisely the capacities that democracy needs: critical thinking, imagination, dialogue, the ability to question and the courage to challenge accepted truths. Alongside these, we must foster an understanding of social realities, a sense of responsibility and the capacity to act.
Education, in its broadest sense, is also about action. It means being able to turn ideas into deeds and take responsibility for their consequences.
An electoral victory is only the beginning. Rebuilding trust and democratic institutions requires sustained commitment, expertise, cooperation and courage. The true test of democracy lies in how power is exercised once it has been won.
But right now, Serbia is giving Europe something especially valuable: hope. Congratulations to Serbia’s students, artists, university communities and citizens.
Kaisa Rönkkö,
dean, The Sibelius Academy
Uniarts Helsinki and the University of Arts in Belgrade are members of IN.TUNE, the European university alliance in music and arts