Macut: University independence does not imply transferring disputes outside Serbia

Serbian Prime Minister Đuro Macut assessed today that university independence implies responsibility and work within institutions, "and not transferring disputes outside the territory of Serbia."

On Monday, the Rector of the University of Belgrade, Vladan Đokić, met in Brussels with the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, who wrote on the social network Instagram after the meeting that she appreciated the Rector's "commitment to defending the autonomy and dignity" of the higher education institution.

Đokić was in Brussels for an international university conference under the auspices of the EU.

At a session of the Serbian Parliament, Macut said, according to his office, that "every trip to Brussels, every protest, every step that is not in line with the norms of normal communication and achieving national consensus on any issue, does not lead to solving the problem."

He reiterated that "politics and academia should not interfere" and that "the increasingly pronounced, crude interference of politics in the life of academia is unacceptable."

"Higher education must remain independent, but at the same time under the expert supervision of the academic community, as well as of high quality and responsible towards students," said Macut.

He said that Serbia "continues to fulfill its obligations" from the Growth Plan and that the process of joining the European Union is technical and demanding, but that it is being "worked on intensively."