Nenad Vujic (BETAPHOTO/MILAN ILIC)
April 29 marks the first meeting of the working group formed by Justice Minister Nenad Vujic to review the recommendations of the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission regarding the so-called Mrdic laws, a set of judicial laws Serbia adopted in January that has drawn local uproar and international criticism alike.
“The process will be neither quick nor a formality. [The working group] will work intensively and through the holidays. This is fine-tuning that needs to be done,” Vujic told Newsmax Balkans TV on April 28.
Addressing what happens next, the minister stressed that the National Assembly has final say. “These are recommendations, not orders,” he said of the Venice Commission’s opinion. “The National Assembly is the deciding authority, but consultations and a public debate will be held first.”
According to the minister, the Venice Commission’s opinion regarding the set of laws are “an expert insight which should be viewed as a recommendation, not a binding decision.”
The Commission published an urgent opinion on the laws on April 24. Proposed by ruling Progressive Party of Serbia MP Ugljesa Mrdic, the six controversial legal acts pertain to Serbia’s judiciary and prosecution and were adopted by parliament on Jan. 28.
On April 28, the Ministry of Justice announced that Minister Vujic formed a working group for preparing amendments to said laws so as to align them with the recommendations of the Venice Commission’s experts.
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