EU Parliament Report Criticizes Serbia's Rule of Law, Judiciary

A European Parliament report on Serbia has sharply criticized the country's democratic and rule of law situation, with a legal expert stating that European institutions offer more protection to Serbia's judiciary than its own High Judicial Council. Jovana Spremo from the Lawyers' Committee for Human Rights (YUCOM) commented on the report, adopted by the AFET committee, which significantly toughened its stance compared to an earlier draft.

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It is absurd that the judiciary in this country is protected more by a European institution than by, for example, the High Judicial Council.

Spremo noted that the report's content and tone were expected, particularly regarding democracy and the rule of law in Serbia. The report consistently points to deep polarization, institutional distrust, and the capture of democratic processes. She highlighted that the detailed monitoring by European Parliament members captured violations of rights by Serbian authorities, emphasizing the document's significance and its potential impact on European Commission decisions.

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We could see quite detailed monitoring by members of the European Parliament; not a single detail of rights violations carried out by institutions, or rather the authorities in Serbia, in the previous period escaped them.

The expert also observed that a large number of amendments adopted were from the European People's Party, a group to which Serbia's ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) belongs. This suggests, Spremo explained, that the Serbian government is playing multiple sides and that even within the conservative bloc, there are red lines that the SNS is crossing, indicating a lack of clear direction toward the European path.

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This tells us that this government is sitting on many chairs. And that within their group, it is becoming visible that there is no clear direction of the SNS towards the European path, meaning that even within that conservative option, there are red lines that are not crossed.

Regarding the freezing of EU funds and the withholding of funds from the Western Balkans Growth Plan due to the implementation of certain laws, Spremo believes the current Serbian regime is primarily interested in EU funds. She stated that the European Commission finds the legislative process and the retaliation against the judiciary unacceptable. Spremo voiced concern that merely revising the criticized laws might not be viewed as progress, but rather as stagnation. She suggested that the EU's willingness to halt funds over the treatment of the judiciary signals that the government will not easily obtain these funds.

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My only fear is that by returning to zero, that is, by eliminating the consequences of the 'Mrdić laws', in whole or in part, they will not gain additional points. Because that is not progress, that can be stagnation at best.