Rail service in Serbia was suspended ahead of a protest in Belgrade
On Saturday, May 23, train service was suspended throughout Serbia. The decision was made ahead of a large-scale student protest scheduled to take place in Belgrade. The circumstances and reasons for the restrictions are currently being officially clarified.
This was reported by the DPA news agency.
In a brief statement issued by the operator Srbija Voz at 4:15 a.m., it was stated that train service would be suspended throughout the country. The company did not specify the reason for the suspension.
The Serbian government has already suspended rail service twice on the eve of student protests, which are part of a broader movement that emerged after the collapse of a railway overpass in Novi Sad in November 2024, which killed 16 people.
Students at Serbian universities have been at the forefront of the protests, calling on President Aleksandar Vučić to resign over the tragedy and accusing the government of negligence and corruption.
The government responded to the protests with harsh repression against demonstrators and arbitrary arrests of organizers and supporters.
As a reminder, Serbia wants to join the EU but has no intention of “begging” for membership, according to the foreign minister.
The European Commission had planned to accelerate the accession of six Western Balkan countries to the European Union. In 2018, it was expected that Serbia and Montenegro would join the union by 2025.
The German chancellor stated that the European Union should grant accession to the Western Balkan countries, Ukraine, Moldova, and eventually Georgia.
