Judicial Union President: Law text sent to Venice Commission differs from parliamentary version

Nemanja Đurić, president of the Judicial Officers Union, has raised concerns that the proposed amendments to the so-called "Mrdic laws," submitted to the National Assembly, represent only a partial solution to existing problems. He highlighted that the amendments entering parliamentary procedure failed to secure the required support from the High Prosecutorial Council.

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it is clear that this is only a partial elimination of existing problems.

Đurić stated on the union's official website that only seven out of eleven members of the High Prosecutorial Council voted for the proposed laws, falling short of the eight votes needed for a decision. "The fact that the necessary majority in the High Prosecutorial Council was not secured shows that there are serious disagreements and reservations among the highest representatives of the prosecutorial organization regarding the proposed solutions," Đurić noted.

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The fact that the necessary majority in the High Prosecutorial Council was not secured shows that there are serious disagreements and reservations among the highest representatives of the prosecutorial organization regarding the proposed solutions.

A significant issue, according to Đurić, is the discrepancy between the law text sent to the Venice Commission and the one being considered by the National Assembly. He indicated that these differences pertain to the conditions and methods for electing the new head of the Special Department for High-Tech Crime, as well as the retention of hierarchical decision-making elements for members of the commission that decides on objections to binding instructions, substitutions, and devolutions.

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the text of the law sent to the Venice Commission differs from the text of the law that entered the parliamentary procedure.

Đurić warned that such discrepancies could lead to a "new international scandal." "If the Venice Commission provides an opinion on one text of the law, and the National Assembly considers another, Serbia will face a new international scandal that seriously calls into question the country's credibility within the Council of Europe," he explained. The "Mrdic laws," a package of five amendments, were adopted by the current government in late January and have faced criticism from legal experts, professional organizations, and European institutions for potentially undermining prosecutorial independence and judicial impartiality.

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If the Venice Commission provides an opinion on one text of the law, and the National Assembly considers another, Serbia will face a new international scandal that seriously calls into question the country's credibility within the Council of Europe.