Silk Sets judicial laws which Serbia recently adopted is currently the main obstacle to progress in negotiations with European Union and the opening of cluster three, and the authorities plan to fulfill key obligations by June in order to remove obstacles on the European road, Danijel Apostolović, head of the Operational Team for EU Accession, told RTS.
As he stated, the political will for reforms exists, but it is precisely the regulations in the field of justice that represent a "stumbling block" in communication with Brussels.
The problem is not only the content of the laws but also the procedure of their adoption. According to the rules of the accession process, Serbia, as a candidate, was obliged to request an opinion before adoption Venice Commission and submit the drafts To the European Commission, which was not done on time.
Therefore, the President of the National Assembly subsequently sent a request for an urgent opinion of the Venice Commission, and the authorities said that they will act in accordance with the recommendations when it arrives.
The Venice Commission announced that the urgent opinion on the recent changes to judicial laws in Serbia, requested by Brnabić, will be submitted for adoption at the plenary session of that advisory body of the Council of Europe in June.
The European Commission has repeatedly pointed out the problems in connection with the adopted laws and asked for their revision and withdrawal.
Trotting in meeting benchmarks
Since December 2021, Serbia has not opened a single cluster on the way to membership in the European Union, and it is not doing much better when it comes to the chapters that have been opened.
According to the data presented by Apostolović, in chapters 23 and 24, which include the judiciary, the fight against corruption and basic rights, Serbia has 91 transitional benchmarks. So far, 27 have been completed, 18 partially, while work has just begun on 46. Those chapters, he estimates, remain the most demanding part of the negotiations with the EU.
The opening of cluster three, which relates to competitiveness and inclusive growth, will depend on the political assessment of member states and the assessment of progress in rule of law reforms. Apostolović stated that, in addition to resolving disputed laws, the formation of REM and the continuation of diplomatic talks with EU members will also be important.
The RTS interlocutor pointed out that the government's goal is to have most of the key obligations completed by June, in order to speed up the negotiation process.
Serbia is slowly going to the EU: Tapping in place and steps back
Source: RTS
