Serbian Speaker: Venice Commission Gives Positive Opinion on Amendments to Serbia’s Judiciary Laws

Ana Brnabic (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV)

Serbian Speaker Ana Brnabic said on June 12 that the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission has issued a positive opinion on proposed amendments to recently adopted judiciary laws, adding that the authorities have succeeded in defending at least three provisions that drew public criticism.

Following a plenary session of the Venice Commission, which she attended, Brnabic told the Belgrade media that the proposed amendments to five judiciary laws, adopted in January at the initiative of MP Ugljesa Mrdic, will be submitted to Serbian parliament next week.

“The Venice Commission sent us its comments, and we responded and sent our replies back. It then sent us further comments, and we responded to those as well. We also worked yesterday and early this morning on additional changes to certain provisions, so we now have an entirely positive opinion from the Venice Commission and will submit the amendments to those judicial laws to parliament as early as next week,” Brnabic said.

Legal experts in Serbia, as well as in the European Union, warned earlier that January amendments to the five judiciary laws undermined prosecutorial autonomy and judicial independence. Reversing all of the consequences of those legislative changes subsequently became a precondition for any progress by Serbia on its path towards the Union. Brnabic said that, through its swift and efficient cooperation with the Venice Commission, Serbia has “once again demonstrated its commitment to the rule of law, transparency and cooperation with the Council of Europe and the Venice Commission, despite everything that those who criticize the government of Aleksandar Vucic are saying.”