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Student List vows to work with Russia to keep NIS operating — candidate

The Student List representative noted that the movement would seek full disclosure of all details of the NIS deal between the Russian shareholders and Hungarian energy group MOL

BELGRADE, November 4. /TASS/. The Student List, which won Serbia’s parliamentary elections, plans to do everything possible alongside Russian shareholders to ensure that NIS (NIS (Petroleum Industry of Serbia) continues operating, Dejan Radivojevic, parliamentary candidate from the coalition and a professor at the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Mining and Geology, said.

"It is important to emphasize that NIS is exceptionally important to us. In essence, it is a vital component of this [energy - TASS] system, and together with our Russian majority shareholders, we will do everything possible to ensure that it continues operating," Radivojevic stressed at a press conference.

The Student List representative noted that the movement would seek full disclosure of all details of the NIS deal between the Russian shareholders and Hungarian energy group MOL. According to Radivojevic, guarantees are needed to ensure that Serbia’s national interests are protected following the change of ownership, particularly the continued operation of the oil refinery in Pancevo, the preservation of jobs, and uninterrupted fuel supplies to the Serbian market.

NIS shareholders have been forced to sell their assets because they were placed under US sanctions. In January 2025, the US Department of the Treasury added the Serbian company to its sanctions list along with its majority shareholder, Gazprom Neft. After several postponements, the restrictions took effect on October 9 of that year. On November 11, 2025, Serbia’s Energy Ministry reported that the Russian owners of NIS had notified the United States of their willingness to transfer control of the company to a third party. The US Treasury Department recently extended the company’s operating license until December 11, 2026.

On January 19, Gazprom and MOL announced the signing of a letter of intent to sell a stake in Serbia’s NIS. Serbian authorities announced plans to increase their stake in the company by 5%, which would allow Belgrade to influence certain decisions at shareholders’ meetings.

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