Today, the Minister of the Interior, Aleksandar Vulin, met with the newly appointed Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia, Emanuel Giaufret , to discuss cooperation in Chapter 24 – Justice, Freedom and Security, as well as the European Commission’s Progress Report on European Integration. .
The activities from the Action Plan for Chapter 24, which is being implemented after the period covered by the Progress Report, were also highlighted at the meeting.
Minister Vulin also presented the achieved results of the Serbian police in the field of fight against organised crime.
At the meeting, Ambassador Giaufret reaffirmed the EU’s support for Serbia’s accession process and stressed the key importance of the rule of law for Serbia’s progress on the European path. He also reminded of the part of the annual report of the European Commission which refers to the fight against serious and organised crime, as well as the necessary reforms of the legislation, and confirmed the commitment of the EU to support Serbia to intensify efforts in these areas.
Ambassador Giaufret emphasised that the EU has good cooperation with the Ministry of Interior in a number of areas, primarily in migration management and civil protection.
Ambassador Giaufret also reminded that civil society organisations and organisations dedicated to the protection and defence of human rights play a key role in raising awareness of civil and political rights, and that in that sense they must be enabled to work unhindered.
In the conversation, Minister Vulin and Ambassador Giaufret also touched on the events related to the mural of Ratko Mladic in Belgrade. The Minister of Police said that the Ministry of the Interior protects the safety of all citizens, including the participants in the protest, regardless of whether they are in favour of removing the disputed mural or not. Ambassador Giaufret said that the EU has a clear and firm position on the issue of the need to effectively overcome the legacy of the past, refrain from glorifying war criminals and denying war crimes, and work to encourage reconciliation.
At the end of the meeting, Minister Vulin and the Head of the Delegation Giaufret agreed on further cooperation in the area of Chapter 24.
