GRECO: Serbia implemented anti-corruption recommendations

GRECO said in its Second Interim Compliance Report that the Serbian authorities fully implemented eight of the 13 recommendations and partly implemented the remaining five and added that Serbia’s compliance is no longer “globally unsatisfactory”. GRECO decided not to continue applying the rule governing member states not in compliance with its recommendations but requested additional information form the Serbian delegation chief.

GRECO is a CoE body working to improve member state capacities in fighting corruption by monitoring their compliance with anti-corruption standards and identifying deficiencies in national anti-corruption policies, prompting the necessary legislative, institutional and practical reforms.

The report said that most of its recommendations with respect to MPs have been implemented satisfactorily. “Transparency on the law drafting process has been further improved … and a more effective process of public participation in the legislative process at a preliminary stage has been established” but that concrete timeframes remain to be introduced in parliament’s Rules of procedure.

It said that the adopting of constitutional amendments allowed the implementation of several GRECO recommendations with the High Judiciary Council now recognized as an independent body guaranteeing the independence of courts and judges. “Measures have been taken to strengthen the transparency of its activities, but others remain to ensure its budgetary autonomy,” the report said.

“The new Law on Corruption Prevention, recently amended according to GRECO’s recommendations, as well as relevant manuals and guidelines aimed at public officials, improve the rules on conflicts of interest that apply to parliamentarians, judges and prosecutors,” it said.