The prEUgovor coalition has presented the second independent report on Serbia’s progress in the implementation of policies related to Chapter 23 (judiciary and fundamental rights) and Chapter 24 (freedom, security and justice) of EU negotiations. The Report covers the period from September 2013 until April 2014, aiming to draw attention to the main challenges in these areas.
The Report contains specific conclusions and recommendations, the main ones being as follows:
(1) Government should completely abandon practice of introducing exceptions to the laws which have been adopted and practice of circumventions of the laws. Such practice is still wide spread, particularly in the most sensitive areas such as security sector and public procurement.
(2) Accountability of the executive branch needs further strengthening, as well as the capacities and independence of bodies which are part of the institutional mechanism for control over Government. Significantly more effort needs to be put into effective curbing of politicization and misuse of public powers across the sectors, particularly public enterprises.
(3) Protection of human rights should remain high on the Government agenda. Among priority areas are fight against human trafficking and violence against women and the issue of irregular migration and asylum.
(4) Strengthening independence, efficiency and accountability of judiciary is of paramount importance for the overall implementation of the laws.