The Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia is astonished by the item published in today’s edition of “Informer” in which it is alleged that the European Union is paying for lawyers defending Mr Miroslav Mišković. These allegations are untrue.
EU funds for Serbia are not being used in this way. Nor is this their purpose. The Delegation would also like to stress that it did not in any way – formally or informally – as “Informer” claims, confirm that “two experienced lawyers will join the defence team” of Mr Mišković. This is pure fabrication.
The Delegation of the European Union has a responsibility to monitor developments in Serbia closely, as part of Serbia’s accession process. In that context it is the role of the Delegation to report on Serbia’s progress in tackling corruption, which constitutes a key element under Chapter 23 of the accession negotiations. This includes monitoring trial proceedings relevant to the fight against corruption, such as that currently under way.
