Serbian villages demand action on roads, lighting and public space problems

Residents of the villages Donja Trnava and Donja Toponica, located near Niš, organized a local initiative called “Zajedno jače” and launched the project “Imamo pravo”. Through door‑to‑door surveys and focus groups they identified key problems such as stray dogs, unlit streets, missing traffic signs, unmarked roads and a lack of public gathering places. The group compiled proposals and submitted them to municipal authorities with the support of the EU Resurs Center, but they have received no concrete response yet.

In a separate case in the village of Donja Gorica, residents have been unable to use Pavlovini street for over two years because city services have not cleared the road. MP Maša Vujović of the Democratic Party of Socialists publicly criticised the city’s inaction, noting that locals had to clean the street themselves and even offered tree branches to the mayor as a reminder of the neglect.

Both stories highlight ongoing frustrations in Serbian rural communities over inadequate municipal services and the growing civic push for accountability.