Serbian opposition criticizes judicial academy law, minister's past role

Opposition deputies in the Serbian Parliament have sharply criticized the proposed Law on the Judicial Academy, asserting that it encroaches upon the authority of the High Judicial Council (VSS) and the High Prosecutorial Council (VST). They contend that the new legislation grants the academy institutional powers that supersede those of these established judicial bodies.

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You have reduced the VSS and VST to some kind of councils that give some recommendations, which may or may not be respected. You could have at least said that these are binding instructions.

Goran Petrović of the Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP) argued that the VSS and VST would be reduced to mere advisory bodies, whose recommendations might not be binding. He accused the ruling majority of seeking to exert direct influence over the selection of judges and prosecutors through the academy's Administrative Board and Program Council.

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The institutional independence of the Academy was insisted upon by the Venice Commission, stating that it was one of the key recommendations.

Justice Minister Nenad Vujić defended the proposed "institutional independence" of the Academy, stating that it was a key recommendation from the Venice Commission. However, Branko Pavlović of the "Mi - Glas iz naroda" movement suggested that the issue arises when the Judicial Academy's independence is established at the expense of the VSS's selection powers.

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When you take away the right of election from the VSS, then it is a problem.

Verica Milanović of the Srbija centar (SRCE) party stated that while the Judicial Academy's role in educating and training judges and prosecutors is not in question, it should not be the sole body responsible for assessing their competence or the only entry point into the judiciary. Robert Kozma of the Green-Left Front (ZLF) opposed increasing the Administrative Board's membership, arguing it could slow decision-making and that the academy lacks the resources and capacity to manage the upcoming generational shift in the judiciary.

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But the Judicial Academy cannot be a body that will assess the expertise and competence of judges and prosecutors, and it must never be the sole point of entry into the judiciary, through assessing candidates who will undergo previous training and receive a certificate of completion from the Judicial Academy.