politics
March 16, 2026
State-Signed Collapse
No matter how unbelievable the possibility of closure sounds, the Faculty of Medicine cannot function without a 'teaching base', and even the University Clinical Center could terminate its contract with the faculty.
TL;DR
- The Serbian Ministry of Education is working on new laws to increase state control over universities, particularly impacting the Faculty of Medicine in Belgrade.
- Dr. Marko Lens was appointed to key positions, allegedly to facilitate the removal of Dean Tatjana Simić, who had supported student protests and opposed government decrees.
- The Ethics Committee of Serbia (EOS), under Lens's influence, issued an opinion against Professor Simić, despite the University's Ethics Committee having jurisdiction.
- Several professors, including Olivera Kontić Vučinić and Oliver Stojković, face baseless investigations and accusations orchestrated through the EOS, with Lens's digital signature appearing on related documents.
- There are concerns that the University Clinical Center and other teaching hospitals might terminate contracts with the Faculty of Medicine, which could lead to its closure.
- The faculty's ability to function is dependent on its 'teaching base' – affiliated hospitals – and a potential new private medical school could replace it.
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