Serbian Judges’ Association President Snezana Bjelogrlic said that the judiciary needs to be reinforced as a guarantee that the laws will be implemented equally for all.

„An independent judge is a guarantee that the laws will be implemented equally and without bias for all, including those who adopted them, that no one is privileged in proceedings,” she told Belgrade daily Politika.

She said that the strengthening of the judiciary does not mean that it will draw farther away from the people but that it means that the judiciary will draw away from political and all other forms of inappropriate influence. Commenting a statement by ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) official and member of the High Judiciary Council Vladimir Djukanovic MP that the judiciary can’t be independent of the people and its links to the people are through parliament, Bjelogrlic said that the strengthening of the judiciary will ensure justice for everyone, regardless of origin, social status or economic might.

Asked about priorities and problems in the judiciary, Bjelogrlic said that the Serbian judiciary is insufficiently independent, the laws are inadequate and not in harmony, the judges and courts are unequally burdened and there isn’t enough expert training which, she said, means that an inefficient and unequal implementation of the law.