EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos met representatives of Serbia’s election-winning Student List in Brussels this week, as the movement prepared to form a government after defeating the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).
Kos confirmed the meeting during a hearing before the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday. She said the discussion included the Student List’s aim of restoring democracy in Serbia. According to Euronews, four representatives attended the Monday meeting at Kos’s invitation; the European Commission did not identify them.
“The new Serbian government has an opportunity to turn the page, strengthen democratic institutions and fundamental rights, and take the necessary steps to advance on Serbia’s accession path,” Kos told lawmakers.
Reform agenda remains central to EU ties
Kos said the EU was ready to support reforms, citing anti-corruption efforts, independent media and an independent judiciary. The Student List representatives told her they wanted to restore the rule of law and democracy, Euronews reported.
The meeting focused on domestic reforms rather than Serbia’s accession negotiations. The European Commission’s latest enlargement assessment said Serbia had made no substantial progress in its EU accession talks and highlighted concerns over democracy, justice and fundamental rights. The report was published on November 4, after its assessment period had ended.
Serbia’s government reported that, after votes were repeated at 53 polling stations, the Student List received 53.01% of the vote and the list led by Aleksandar Vučić received 38.98%. The figures were based on results from all 8,392 polling stations, according to the Serbian government.
The election result has not yet led to a new cabinet. The Student List has not publicly set out its leadership or government plans, while the process of forming the administration remains pending. The movement grew out of student protests following the collapse of a concrete canopy at a railway station in Novi Sad, which killed 16 people.
Clayton Ward 
Nicole French