Giaufret: Cooperation between Institutions, Civil Society Key to Serbia’s European Path

Emanuele Giaufret, Belgrade May 22 2023 (BETAPHOTO/MILAN OBRADOVIC)

The head of the European Union Delegation to Serbia, Emanuele Giaufret, said on May 22 that it was time for Serbia to step up reforms as the EU was giving much more attention to candidate members.

Speaking at a conference marking the tenth anniversary of prEUgovor, a coalition of civil society organizations monitoring rule of law reforms in Serbia that are part of the EU integration process, Giaufret expressed approbation for non-governmental organizations' work in prEUgovor and the conviction that cooperation between institutions and civil society was key to Serbia's European journey.

He stressed that rule of law and justice reforms remained the pillar of Serbia's EU Integration and that progress was possible where there was strong will.

Giaufret said strong and independent institutions were crucial to curbing corruption and organized crime and that no-one must be above the law or allowed to have impunity.

Jelena Pejic Nikic, coordinator at the prEUgovor coalition, said when opening the conference that the coalition could not say it was happy with the results of Serbia's EU integration over the past ten years, more specifically with its pace, and that prEUgovor was therefore still needed.