Prosecutor: Consequences of Serbia's judicial laws will be felt for a long time

Recent judicial reforms in Serbia, dubbed "Mrdić's laws," will have long-lasting repercussions even if overturned, according to prosecutor Lidija Komlen Nikolić. She argues that the legislation systemically impacts the autonomy of every public prosecutor.

Nikolić stated that the laws sent a message from the legislative branch, demonstrating its ability to influence prosecutorial independence in a short period. She believes these consequences will be difficult to reverse. While experts from the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe supported a return to the previous state, Nikolić suggested that domestic and international pressure were the primary drivers for potential changes.

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A Besides the direct consequences, the legislative changes sent a message: 'See what we can do in a short time and how we can affect your independence.' Those consequences will be difficult to undo by returning to the previous state of affairs.

She noted that multiple draft versions of the laws existed before reaching the current stage, and some were not in line with the Venice Commission's opinions. Nikolić expressed concern that Serbia "lost time" in this process, despite the current positive reception of the amendments. This comes as Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabić announced that the Venice Commission had provided a positive opinion on the proposed amendments to the "Mrdić's laws."

Brnabić stated that the government managed to defend at least three controversial solutions within the proposed changes. The Venice Commission is expected to release its opinion in the coming days. The proposed amendments to five judicial laws, initially adopted in January, are scheduled for parliamentary review next week. These include changes to laws concerning public prosecution, the High Prosecutorial Council, judges, court jurisdictions, and the fight against high-tech crime.

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So this was a nicely played game in which the Serbian judiciary lost time.