SERBIA: An Anti-Blockade Rally & more – 26th Aug 2025

Dobar dan from Keswick Village! This is the Rorshok Serbia Update from the 26th of August twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Serbia.

On Wednesday, the 20th, supporters of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, or SNS, gathered in several cities to protest against the university blockades and the anti-government protests that have been taking place across the country for months. Calling it an anti-blockade protest, the participants marched with signs that read I want my Serbia back! and I want to study! — framing the ongoing student-led anti-government protests as disruptive to the country. The gatherings in every city enjoyed police protection, with media reporters noting that there were SNS officials in the crowd of protesters.

Days later, messages from pro-government group chats leaked, showing dissatisfied anti-blockades protesters asking for compensation, saying that SNS members had promised them money in return for their participation, but failed to pay on time.

Recall that the students in Serbia started blocking their faculties after a canopy collapse tragedy killed sixteen people in the northern city of Novi Sad, requesting accountability from the government.

Meanwhile, media company United Media sent an urgent request to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (or OSCE) to seek an explanation from the authorities regarding their threats directed at independent media outlets in Serbia. They expressed concerns about the hostile environment in which Nova and N1 operate due to their unbiased reporting on the student protests, with government officials smearing their journalists on pro-government channels, calling them terrorists and media poisoners. As a result, journalists from N1 and Nova have received various threats, including death threats.

As a member of the OSCE mission, Serbia has committed to respecting the principles of freedom of expression, protecting journalists, and fostering a safe, pluralistic media environment. However, United Media said that media freedom will decline severely if the government doesn’t stop pressuring independent outlets and their journalists.

Going back to student protests for a bit, the investigation launched in May about the potential use of a sound cannon on demonstrators during an anti-government student protest in Belgrade has come to an end after the Public Prosecutors Office for Organized Crime abruptly closed the case.

In previous shows, we reported that during the protest’s silent vigil, a loud noise sent a wave of demonstrators to each side of the road in panic, because they said that a terrifying sound like a vehicle was approaching them at full speed.

After not disclosing any information about the case’s development for months, the Office said only last week that the information they had gathered from two government ministries and the Security Information Agency suggested that no one had used a sonic weapon.

In other news, on Thursday the 21st, Kosovo’s Central Election Commission, or the CEC, voted against certifying the Belgrade-backed Serbian List party to run in the upcoming local elections in Kosovo. CEC members from the ruling Vetenvedosje party opposed the certification of the Serbian List, accusing its members of having links with the Serbian-run institutions that operate in Kosovo outside the government’s control. The ruling party added that they consider these institutions terrorist organizations, wanted by the judiciary.

However, CEC members who are also members of the Serbian List party accused Vetenvedosje of spreading misinformation, noting that the List party’s application had overcome all the CEC’s administrative checks before being put to a formal vote, saying that they are not implicated in what Vetevendosje is accusing them of. Western officials criticized the CEC’s final decision against the Serbian List’s certification, noting that it could provoke further tensions in Kosovo.

In more bilateral relations, on Friday the 22nd, the Serbian state-owned gas company NIS said that it had requested a sixth delay to the US-planned sanctions. The US had announced a package of sanctions against NIS in January, due to the company’s majorly Russian ownership. However, NIS has managed to delay the sanctions for nine months, promising the US a shift in the shareholders. So far, the government has managed to acquire nearly fifty percent of the ownership, while the rest remains Russian.

Still, this doesn’t mean that Serbia is totally distancing itself from Russia, as it is participating in negotiations with the country over a new long-term natural gas supply agreement. On Thursday the 21st, the energy minister said that their goal is to achieve a deal with Russia’s gas giant Gazprom, which would supply Serbia with affordable Russian gas. Currently, Gazprom is providing more than two million households with gas for a price of around 34,000 dinars, which is around 340 dollars, per thousand cubic meters, which is much cheaper than the European average price. The energy ministry is expecting the same for the upcoming deal.

Speaking of energy prices, on Thursday the 21st, the director general of the state-owned power company EPS announced an increase in electricity prices by eight percent starting from October. The director explained that the company intends to invest the income generated from the price hike into building new electricity transmission and distribution networks.

Media outlets warned that with the electricity price increase, household bills could rise by around thirty percent, and noted that many homes could find it difficult to adapt.

The previous power price increase was in October of twenty twenty-three, when the prices went up by eight percent.

Since we mentioned price increases, the Central Bank, or the NBS, announced on Tuesday the 19th that their year-ahead inflation expectations rose to around four percent in July, slightly increasing from June’s 3.5 percent. The NBS said that inflation in July amounted to around five percent year-on-year, rising from June’s twenty twenty-four by less than one percent. They expect a drop in inflation toward the end of the year.

The State Statistical Office reported on Monday the 25th said that the average net salary in June amounted to around 110,000 dinars, which is around a thousand dollars, while the median salary was around 80,000 dinars, around 800 dollars. Compared to June twenty twenty-four, the average salaries decreased by around seven percent.

On that note about low wages, the Air Traffic Control Union in Belgrade, or the SKL, went on strike on Wednesday the 20th demanding higher salaries. The SKL said that the strike will go on until the end of September, but added that they will still offer some services as they are legally required to do so. In response, Europe’s largest low-cost airline, Ryanair, said that it had to cancel around a hundred flights due to the SKL strike, criticizing Serbia for a lack of laws protecting flights during strikes. They requested an intervention from institutions in Brussels to safeguard flights during strikes by national air traffic control.

Bulgaria’s Minister of Regional Development and Public Works announced on Thursday the 21st that the entire Europe Highway will be operational by mid-September this year. The motorway is supposed to link Bulgaria’s capital Sofia to the Serbian border crossing at Kalotina, connecting to Serbia’s A4 motorway, and it will be around sixty kilometers, around forty miles long.

Finishing off this edition with some cultural news, from the 28th to the 30th of August, the capital will host its 22nd annual music and craft beer festival, Belgrade Beerfest. It will take place at the Usce arena, and will feature famous artists like E-Play, Orthodox Celts, and Joker Out. The attendees will also enjoy unlimited beer, with ticket prices ranging from 2,000 dinars, which is around twenty dollars, all the way to 10,000 dinars, around a hundred dollars.

For more information about the Belgrade Beerfest, check out the link in the show notes!

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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Do daljnjeg, zbogom!