The Serbian European Integration Office with the Council of Europe Office and the Delegation of the European Union in Belgrade hosted the first meeting to review the progress achieved in Serbia under the joint programme of the European Union and Council of Europe “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey” – Horizontal Facility.
The three-year Horizontal Facility (May 2016 – May 2019) aims to assist authorities in South-East Europe to achieve greater compliance with European standards in three key areas: ensuring justice, fighting economic crime as well as combating discrimination and protecting the rights of vulnerable groups.
The Horizontal Facility has a budget of EUR25 million, EUR20 million of which has been allocated by the European Union and EUR5 million by the Council of Europe.
“The Horizontal Facility is a cooperation instrument in South East Europe, tailored to the needs in each beneficiary, focused on promoting compliance with joint Council of Europe and EU standards”, said Tim Cartwright, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Belgrade. Cartwright outlined that that the Horizontal Facility follows a two-fold approach: technical cooperation and an Expertise Coordination Mechanism through which legislative and policy advice could be provided. He also said that the Horizontal Facility was fast creating a genuine community of common endeavour, involving the European institutions; other international partners; Serbian partner ministries and institutions; and civil society.
Dejan Gojkovic of the Serbian European Integration Office noted that to meet the requirements of chapters 23 and 24, Serbia is required to implement a number of reforms and actions, and through assisting Serbia in complying with European standards on ensuring justice, combating economic crime, promoting anti-discrimination and protecting rights of vulnerable groups, the Horizontal Facility will have a direct impact on the daily life of Serbian citizens.
“Serbia is taking decisive steps on its European path. We recently held the 4th Stabilisation and Association Agreement meeting, and the topics that this Horizontal Facility covers were prominent in the discussions. Eight accession chapters have been opened, with two already provisionally closed,” said Nicolas Bizel, Head of the Operations Section I of the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia in his opening remarks. He also stressed that the national authorities would play a central role in making this joint venture a success.
Following the meeting, recommendations will be made to the multi-beneficiary Horizontal Facility Steering Board, in June this year, which will consider recommendations for adjustment to the programme, including possible additional activities to be funded from the Horizontal Facility Reserve.
The funding envelope for the Actions currently being implemented in Serbia amounts to EUR3.4 million.
The meeting was attended by officials from the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs, Ministry of Health, as well as representatives from the Judicial Academy, Office for Human and Minority Rights, Office of the Ombudsman, NGOs, representatives from the ranks of judges and prosecutors, the Delegation of the European Union and the Council of Europe.
The Serbia Horizontal Facility Steering Committee meeting offered a platform for all participants to review and provide guidance for the implementation of the seven Actions under the Horizontal Facility: Enhancing human rights protection for detained and sentenced persons in Serbia, Supporting Effective Legal Remedies and Mutual Legal Assistance, Strengthen integrity and combat corruption in higher education, Fostering a democratic school culture, Strengthening the protection of national minorities in Serbia, Preventing and combating trafficking in human beings in Serbia, Strengthening legal guarantees for independent and impartial tribunals.
