Prosecutors brief EU Delegation head on pressures facing Serbian judiciary

The Supreme Public Prosecutor’s Office said in a press release that the meeting was convened to familiarize the Ambassador and his delegation with the current state of affairs within the domestic prosecution service. Discussions covered potential amendments to the legal framework governing the organization and operation of the prosecution, the upcoming elections for the High Prosecutorial Council, and the consequences following the failed appointment of 88 public prosecutors this past November.

“Our shared assessment is that the situation within the public prosecution and the country’s judiciary requires careful monitoring and evaluation against the benchmarks, criteria, and commitments Serbia has undertaken as part of its EU accession process,” the press release said, noting that this applies specifically to negotiating chapters 23 and 24, “which establish the necessity of the rule of law, the autonomy of the public prosecution, and the independence of the judiciary.”

The obligations of the Supreme Public Prosecutor’s Office and the High Prosecutorial Council regarding the accession process, particularly within the framework of chapters 23 and 24, were also discussed, they said.