Winds Blowing Across Europe – Ditmir Bushati, March 2025

Since November 2024, Serbia has been engulfed in widespread protests against corruption, initially sparked by the tragic collapse of a railway station roof in Novi Sad, which resulted in 15 fatalities. This incident, attributed to government negligence and corruption, ignited public outrage. The movement, led primarily by university students, has paralyzed not only academic life but also garnered substantial popular support. The persistence and scale of these protests—the largest since Aleksandar Vučić came to power in 2012—have sparked a sense of solidarity among youth from Ljubljana to Podgorica, from Zagreb to Athens.

Students in Serbia are calling for a democratic country governed by the rule of law, not by the cult of an individual. Disillusioned with politics and the stances of EU officials, who have supported Vučić’s regime for over 12 years, it is notable that students do not wave EU flags during the protests. Although the European Parliament adopted a critical resolution in February last year regarding the lack of standards in Serbia’s December 2023 parliamentary elections, virtually no action was taken. The EU continued to treat Vučić’s regime as if nothing had happened.

Moreover, the EU accession talks with Serbia have become a farce, with neither side taking them seriously. Although officially launched in 2014, Serbia today is further from democratic standards and values than before the talks began. In other words, the EU’s appeasement policy toward Serbia has failed; over the past decade, Serbia has not become more democratic, does not acknowledge the aftermath and realities of the post-Yugoslav wars, and as a result, is neither more peaceful nor more trustworthy toward its neighbors.

In Georgia, protests stem from the lack of free elections and the domination of political and economic life by a ruling party since 2012. The struggle for a European orientation and the complex relationship with Russia are central elements of the Georgian crisis. The spark that ignited the protests was the disputed parliamentary elections of October 2024. As with Serbia’s elections, the European Parliament passed a critical resolution last month against the lack of electoral standards in Georgia, also calling for sanctions on high-ranking officials involved in undermining democratic processes.

In response to the resolution, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the suspension of EU accession talks until the end of 2028, as well as the rejection of EU financial aid and instruments (grants and loans), which he claims are used as leverage. At the same time, he emphasized that his government would continue implementing the required reforms and still plans for Georgia to join the EU by 2030.

Although a candidate for EU membership since December 2023, Georgia’s democratic standards have regressed. Legislation aimed at curbing foreign influence—especially targeting NGOs and government critics—is seen as a continuation of the trajectory toward cementing power.

Unlike Serbians, Georgians wave EU flags during protests, believing, as we Balkaners once did, that by moving closer to the EU, they can better safeguard certain democratic standards and values embodied by the EU.

Meanwhile, protests in Hungary reveal the insufficient functioning of democratic elements even as an EU member, subject to oversight by European structures regarding rule of law. Since 2010, Hungary has been dominated by one party controlling nearly all levers of power, the economy, and the media.

However, Viktor Orbán’s absolute power has recently been shaken due to growing dissent. Hungarians are protesting against corruption and the restriction of rights and freedoms. A new opposition movement led by Péter Magyar, once a close associate of Orbán and now the main whistleblower of corruption scandals, has mobilized massive public protests. In response, Orbán has proposed constitutional changes aimed at curbing foreign influence, particularly targeting NGOs and media receiving international funding. He views these entities as threats to national sovereignty, a move critics perceive as a further attempt to suppress dissent and consolidate power.

Despite differing characteristics, geography, and political histories, the common thread among these countries is that power was gained legitimately, not through violence. But over time, especially due to the longevity of power, the constraints sustaining a democratic system have been eroded. In all three countries, an old trick has been used: first, law is preached to gain power, then power is used to distort or ignore the law.

Moreover, these cases show that regardless of being a candidate or member of the EU, democratic transformation is brought to life through the contribution, responsibility, and vigilance of citizens to prevent the rise of unchecked power.

Longevity in power and the dismantling of checks and balances are sold as normal, justified by effective governance and public good. The only limit to power is said to be the goodwill of those in power—something unrelated to the definition of democracy. As political scientist Adam Przeworski rightly notes: “Democracy is a system in which some things must be left open for a chance for democracy to live up to its name.”

Protests in Europe, even if they do not correct the democratic deficit of political life by themselves, are an opportunity to shake the foundations of stabilocracy and open a path toward finding new political and social balances.

The situations described above, despite their particularities, essentially recall Goethe’s famous fable, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, in which a magician entrusts his workshop to an apprentice with certain tasks. The apprentice seeks to ease his work by using the magician’s spells, resulting in the flooding of the workshop. The apprentice is forced to beg for help, and only with the magician’s intervention is the flood stopped. The lesson from this centuries-old fable is clear: power must be exercised in a controlled manner; otherwise, it brings disaster.

Therefore, the winds blowing across Europe show that people are no longer willing to tolerate violations of democratic norms in exchange for material benefits. They are shaking the foundations of entrenched power, fighting for democracy, and rejecting any compromise that does not serve their future.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ditmir Bushati, former Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, former Member of the Albanian Parliament.

The opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation or the organizations the authors work for.