The beginning of the new year was marked by the success of the University of Belgrade students at international competitions.

Miloš Marjanović, from the Faculty of Law, and Teodora Rešetar, from the Faculty of Philosophy, won the first place in the Dutch Worlds University Debating Championships 2017.  The two of them took part in the debate with students from Germany, China and Indonesia on the following matter: “This House believes that the European Left should promote radical left political agenda, including the nationalization of large industrial plants,extremely high tax rates on wealth and expansion of the welfare”.

In addition to the success of Belgrade debating team, Ognjen Miladinović, student of the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law, was named as the best speaker in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) category. In addition to his excellent placement, Ognjen also set the world record for the highest achieved score in oral rounds in English as a Second Language (ESL) category.  Jelisaveta Stanišić from the Faculty of Business Economy and Entrepreneurship, and a former student of the Faculty of Law, was named as the second best speaker in the category of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), while Miloš Marjanović was named as the third best speaker.

The tournament was first organised in 1982 and has grown from a relatively small event to a genuinely international event attracting competitors from over 250 universities representing over 90 countries. This year, more than 800 students from 95 countries took part in the tournament. Representatives of Serbia was divided in six teams, and three of them were qualified to the quarter-finals in the category of English as a Second Language (ESL). The next World Debating Championship will be held in Mexico, while European Debating Championship will be held in Estonia.

Upon their return to Serbia, the official reception for our students was organized both by the Board of the Faculty and by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development.