The Venice Commission will issue its opinion in June.
Brussels remains critical of the package of judicial laws adopted in Serbia, better known as the “Mrdic laws.” The EU is sending a clear message that this issue needs to be resolved as soon as possible.
This was stated by the head of the Serbian mission to the European Union and head of the operational team for EU accession, Daniel Apostolovic, BGNES reported from Belgrade. “You heard this personally from President Vučić, who held meetings in Munich with European Council President Antonio Costa and Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos. One of the key objections, without going into the substance, is the procedure. So, as a country in the process of accession negotiations, we were obliged to first seek the opinion of the Venice Commission and then send all the laws to the European Commission for a final ‘green light’,” Apostolovic told state television.
He explained that “Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic has requested an urgent opinion from the Venice Commission, and as soon as we receive that opinion, we will act accordingly.” “It is important that this issue be resolved as soon as possible because it is a stumbling block in our accession negotiations. The issue of opening the Third Cluster will not return to the agenda until this issue is resolved,” said Apostolovic, who chaired a meeting with representatives of the European Commission in the Serbian government on February 20. The Venice Commission announced that an urgent opinion on the latest amendments to Serbia’s judicial laws, requested by Brnabic, will be presented for adoption at the plenary session of the Council of Europe’s advisory body in June. I BGNES