Participants in a conference on judiciary independence said that the rule of law-related negotiating chapters 23 and 24 are so important that they are among the first to open in order to allow the reforms to commence and they are the ones setting the pace of the overall accession negotiations.
Progress is not about the opening of chapters, but more about their closing, said Noora Hayrinen of the EU Delegation to Serbia speaking at the conference “Judiciary independence – European standards and progress towards chapter 23 Action Plan.”
Noora Hayrinen said the civil society and professional associations must remain part of the reform process.
“Unless the society takes part, there will be neither a successful reform, nor fully enforced laws,” Hayrinen said. She described the strengthening of judiciary as a priority.
Fonet
Head of CoE Mission in Belgrade Tobias Flessenkemper said that the Government should bring European standards and recommendations closer to local contexts and noted that such a process should be “dictated by thoroughness, rather than speed.”
President of the Association of Public Prosecutors Goran Ilic described the independence of prosecutors’ offices as a prerequisite for the rule of law. He believes that prosecution should be independent to the same degree as courts.
According to Maurizio Salustra of OSCE Belgrade, independent prosecution is the one that treats everyone the same.
“If the situation in Serbia does not fit said picture, then there is a problem,” Salustro said.
