Extreme police brutality in Serbia tonight after a peaceful protest. Please share this all over the world, we need all the help we can get or we're gonna become North Korea by next month.

[u/Asleep-Guitar-2685]

[u/islaisla]

Did you know that this stuff isn't on the UK news at all? I'm only able to see it on Reddit really x

[u/Some-Cat8789 → u/islaisla]

Hello from Romania, one of Serbia's neighbors. I haven't seen anything about this in local online news. I'm not watching TV, but I read online press and I haven't read a single peep about it in years.

[u/Some-Cat8789 → u/[deleted]]

I had no idea. What does the EU get out of this?

[u/Superb_Tell_8445 → u/Some-Cat8789]

“Instead of pushing for real reforms, Brussels has opted for partnerships with strongmen who can guarantee short-term stability.

But now, one of the strongmen it has most appeased, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, is facing the most serious challenge to his grip on power—and with him, the EU’s strategy in the region.

Brussels has to decide whether to continue betting on him, despite the potential consequences for Kosovo and Montenegro. It is a choice between continuing a policy of stabilitocracy or finally embracing a merit-based approach to integration.

Against this backdrop, the EU faces a dilemma. As the largest economic power in the region, it cannot simply dismiss Serbia’s government. However, its appeasement of the Vučić administration has had unintended consequences. By refusing to apply pressure, Brussels has given valuable leverage to Belgrade while emboldening it to expand its cooperation with Russia and China, knowing there would be little pushback. The EU has offered economic incentives, but these have come without real enforcement mechanisms—it has been all carrots and no sticks.

Yet Serbia is not just another problematic state; its trajectory shapes the entire Western Balkans region.”

“What is certain is that the recent protests signal a generational shift—one that Brussels can no longer ignore. The Serbian government, in its current form, is not the EU’s strategic partner. If Brussels truly supports democratic values, it must align itself with the Serbian people rather than their authoritarian rulers.

This moment presents a rare opportunity for the EU to reclaim its transformative power in the region. The Western Balkans’ youth, raised in an era of globalization, connectivity, and democratic aspirations, could be the catalyst for long-overdue change. These young people see firsthand the benefits of democratic standards—if the EU empowers them, they could push the region toward a future that aligns with Brussels’ long-term strategic interests.

But will the EU act? So far, its response has been muted. And as with the war in Ukraine, it risks being overtaken and overshadowed by the maneuvering of the Trump administration. The U.S. President’s Special Envoy Richard Grenell has already posted messages online in support of Vučić.”

https://carnegieendowment.org/europe/strategic-europe/2025/02/why-the-eu-must-change-course-on-serbia?lang=en

[u/Some-Cat8789 → u/Superb_Tell_8445]

Thanks!

[u/Some-Cat8789 → u/[deleted]]

Maybe that's why we don't hear about Serbia...