In April 2023, I visited Belgrade as Chairman of the European Democrat Students, an organisation representing centre-right student movements from across Europe. During that visit, I also had the opportunity to enter Serbia’s National Assembly.Three years later, I find myself following developments in that same country with particular interest. This time, it is the students who have made history.Last Sunday, Serbia witnessed an extraordinary political result. According to preliminary results, a movement born out of student protests secured more than half the national vote, winning a parliamentary majority and ending 14 years of political dominance by Aleksandar Vučić and his Serbian Progressive Party.It started in November 2024, when the collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad killed 16 people. What followed was a wave of student demonstrations demanding accountability, transparency and justice.But something remarkable happened along the way.The movement grew beyond university campuses. Teachers, farmers, professionals, artists and families joined the students. People with different backgrounds and political beliefs united around one common purpose: demanding better governance.Interestingly, the Student List that eventually contested the election was largely made up of professionals selected by student assemblies, including academics, doctors, artists and intellectuals. The students became the driving force behind a much wider movement.There is another important aspect that deserves attention.We should not mistake Serbia’s student movement for a conventional pro-European political movement. Its members hold different views on European integration, and the movement has been critical of the EU establishment. Some activists believe Brussels has been too accommodating towards the very political leadership they accuse of corruption.The movement also maintains Serbia’s constitutional position that Kosovo is part of Serbia, showing that its political outlook cannot simply be placed within the traditional European left-right divide.I find this particularly interesting because it challenges the assumption that a movement demanding democratic change must necessarily share one ideological identity. What united these people was their determination to challenge a political system they believed was failing them.Having spent much of my own political journey in student activism, first in Malta and eventually on a European level, I have always believed that young people can be a serious force for change.Student politics taught me how to organise, debate and listen. More importantly, it taught me that leadership means bringing people together, even when they disagree.Today, as a young Member of Parliament serving in Opposition, I see those lessons becoming more relevant than ever.In Malta, we often complain that young people are losing interest in politics. But perhaps we should ask whether politics is doing enough to earn their interest.Are we listening to their concerns about housing affordability, decent careers, meritocracy and their future in Malta and Gozo? Are we genuinely allowing them to influence decisions, or simply inviting them to discussions whose conclusions have already been decided?These questions should challenge every political party, including my own.We need young people who question decisions, challenge established ideas and bring fresh perspectives. We should welcome their criticism rather than expect unquestioning loyalty.Of course, Serbia is not Malta, and the political circumstances of the two countries are very different. The real test for Serbia’s student-led movement now begins: translating electoral success into effective government while managing the different political beliefs that brought its supporters together.Nevertheless, I find it genuinely inspiring that young Serbians have helped reshape the parliamentary majority within the very institution I visited three years ago.And there is a lesson here for our own country.We cannot keep telling young people that they are the future while expecting them to wait patiently for their turn. Their concerns about housing, opportunities, meritocracy and the direction of our country deserve to shape political decisions today.As political parties, we must be prepared to listen, adapt and give younger generations meaningful opportunities to lead. After all, young people should never underestimate their ability to influence the future of their country. Nor should those in positions of power underestimate them.Change does not begin when a new generation is given permission to lead. It begins when that generation decides to take responsibility, unite and act.Beppe Galea is a Member of Parliament and International Secretary of the Partit Nazzjonalista. He previously served as Chairman of the European Democrat Students (2021–2024). Lovin Malta is open to interesting, compelling guest posts from third parties. These opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the views of the company. Submit your piece at hello@lovinmalta.com•