On the Protection of Academic Freedom and Institutional Autonomy

April 2026

The Rectors’ Conferences united in the initiative “Universities for Enlightenment” (u4e) express their deep concern about the recent developments at the University of Belgrade. On 31 March 2026, the Criminal Police Directorate searched the rector's office without prior notice and without providing a clear explanation of the legal basis for the search.

The pretext for the measure was apparently a tragic death of a student, which the University of Belgrade prompted to launch a transparent and legally grounded investigation. The drastic search operation, which resulted in the seizure of internal documents and was accompanied by a large media presence, raises questions about the legality and proportionality of the measures taken by the authorities.

The reported searches indicate a broader pattern of escalating pressure on universities in Serbia as they fulfil their role of offer spaces for critical debate and civic engagement. Particularly, the University of Belgrade has become a focal point of societal demands for justice, transparency and accountability.

The measures taken by the Serbian authorities stand in tension with the principles to which Serbia has committed itself as part of the European Higher Education Area and the Bologna Process. They risk undermining trust in the independence of research and teaching and may have negative implications for international academic cooperation.

We, the undersigned, express our full solidarity with the University of Belgrade, its Rector Vladan Đokić and the entire academic community. We acknowledge and support the University's commitment to pursuing all available legal and institutional avenues to safeguard its autonomy and academic freedom.

We call upon European institutions, national authorities and the international academic community to closely monitor these developments, to raise awareness within their respective spheres of responsibility, and to uphold the fundamental principles of academic freedom, institutional autonomy and the rule of law.

“Universities for Enlightenment” (u4e) is an initiative of the conferences of university rectors from Austria (FHK and uniko), Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Switzerland, all of whom agreed on the Vienna Declarationin December 2018.