site.btaPM-Designate Djuro Macut: "Serbia Is Tired of Blockades"

Prime Minister-designate Prof. Djuro Macut said: "Serbia is tired of divisions and blockades." He was addressing the Serbian parliament during the presentation of his proposed cabinet and programme.

Macut called for urgent dialogue between rectors, vice-rectors, deans and students to resolve the ongoing crisis in higher education. Referring to counter-protesters demanding the resumption of university operations, he emphasized that "no one has the right to usurp the rights of others in the name of political or other interests." He warned that the current situation threatened the survival of Serbian universities.

Prof. Macut set forth his intention to transfer the administration of higher education from the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Science and proposed the setting up of a national council to award scholarships to outstanding students.

The most important duty of those in power and citizens alike is to serve their homeland, Macut said, quoting Milos Obrenovic, the first prince of modern Serbia.

Macut said that one of the most significant foreign policy priorities of the new government is the protection of Kosovo and Metohija and preserving it as part of Serbia.

He added that Belgrade does not view the Balkans as a battlefield and stressed that it is time for security to move from rhetoric to a practice of cooperation. He reiterated Serbia's position that it will remain militarily neutral and "politically responsible." "We see security as a space for trust, not as a tool of blackmail. This is not just a political programme; it is a call for dialogue, cooperation, responsibility and vision," he said.

Macut also affirmed that Serbia seeks a Europe where its voice will be heard, not lost. "We believe in Europe, but above all we believe in Serbia," he declared.

He outlined Serbia's strategic goal of becoming a leader in the digital economy.

A non-partisan figure, Prof. Macut made his first public appearance in January 2025 when he took part in the formation of a cross-party people's movement in Jagodina (Central Serbia), initiated by President Aleksandar Vucic.

Macut received a mandate to form a new government on April 6, following the resignation of the cabinet elected on May 2, 2024. It stepped down on March 19, roughly six weeks after Prime Minister Milos Vucevic resigned in the wake of an attack on students in Novi Sad. Students said that a group of men armed with baseball bats emerged from the city headquarters of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party and chased young activists who had been putting up stickers and painting graffiti around the city.

Vucevic stepped down, stating that he was proud to have served as prime minister, but regretted being unable to follow through many of his plans.

The debate and vote on the new government is the only item on the agenda of Tuesday's sitting of the National Assembly of Serbia.