Agricultural producers across Serbia announced Monday they will escalate protests nationwide starting Tuesday morning, following a joint meeting of 32 farmer associations that represents the most coordinated rural mobilization in years.The decision to "radicalize" demonstrations comes after two weeks of unsuccessful negotiations with the Ministry of Agriculture, with farmers planning simultaneous blockades at 18 locations including major highways, border crossings with Hungary and Croatia, and key transport routes."From Tuesday at 10 a.m., we are moving to a new phase," representatives announced after the coordinating meeting. The mobilization involves groups from across the country, from the Šajkača Union to the Western Serbia Livestock Association, from Šumadija milk producers to farmer organizations in Požarevac, Užice, and Zlatibor.The blockade of the Ibar Highway in Mrčajevci, which began February 11, will be expanded to include the old Čačak-Kraljevo road and numerous other strategic locations across the country. The coordinated nature of Tuesday's escalation—involving groups that rarely act in concert—signals the depth of rural discontent.In the Balkans, as across post-conflict regions, the path forward requires acknowledging the past without being imprisoned by it. Yet agricultural policy has emerged as a flashpoint precisely because it touches questions of sovereignty, subsidy equity, and the terms of EU integration that remain politically explosive in Belgrade.The Serbian mobilization connects to the broader wave of European farmer protests that swept France, Poland, Romania, and the Netherlands over the past two years. Agricultural producers across the continent have mobilized against environmental regulations, cheap imports, and market pressures that threaten traditional farming livelihoods.Such protests carry particular weight in the Balkans, where rural communities maintain substantial political influence and agricultural grievances have historically destabilized governments. The coordination across 32 separate associations demonstrates organizational capacity that Belgrade cannot easily dismiss.The Ministry of Agriculture has not issued a public response to Monday's announcement, though sources familiar with the negotiations suggest officials have struggled to address farmer concerns while maintaining fiscal discipline demanded by EU accession requirements.Tuesday's escalation will test the government's tolerance for disruption. Highway blockades and border crossing closures threaten economic consequences that could force authorities to either negotiate seriously or risk broader confrontation with a constituency that has shown remarkable unity.The farmers' careful organization—announcing specific locations and timing rather than spontaneous action—suggests both tactical sophistication and an understanding that sustained, coordinated pressure poses the greatest challenge to official indifference. Whether the "radicalization" rhetoric translates to genuine disruption or represents negotiating theater will become clear when tractors take position Tuesday morning across Serbia.