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Strengthening Co-operation in the Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights

Representatives of the Department for the Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) of the Council of Europe met with relevant state institutions to discuss the execution of ECtHR judgments concerning Serbia.

The delegation met with the Agent of the Republic of Serbia before the ECtHR, who acts as the coordinator of the execution process in Serbia, and with representatives of the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Finance. The main topic of discussion was the execution of judgments from the Kačapor and Others group of cases, which pertain to the longstanding issue of non-enforcement of domestic court decisions relating to the debts of socially/state-owned companies. In the most recent decision of the Committee of Ministers regarding this group of cases, progress was noted, and at the meeting steps were discussed that need to be undertaken to complete the execution of these judgments.

Additionally, the execution of judgments related to the failure to comply with interim measures of the ECHR (Antić v. Serbia, Ali v. Serbia) was discussed. In response to these judgments, contact persons were appointed in the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to ensure timely execution of the ECtHR's interim measures. The functioning of the new system in practice was discussed, as well as planned amendments to the Law on International Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters. Moreover, opportunities for changes to laws and practices concerning the confiscation of property in criminal and misdemeanour proceedings were considered, given that the ECtHR has issued several judgments against Serbia related to this issue. [1] Finally, the meeting also provided an opportunity to discuss possible legislative changes to ensure the execution of judgments in the cases of Kovač v. Serbia (hearing of the accused during extension of detention) and Boljević v. Serbia (impossibility of reopening paternity proceedings due to statute of limitations).

These meetings are part of the efforts of the action "Strengthening human rights protection in Serbia," aimed at supporting state institutions in the execution of judgments of the ECtHR through the provision of a platform for information exchange and coordination. The action is implemented within the framework of the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey."

 

Belgrade 3 June 2026
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The action “Strengthening human rights protection in Serbia” is designed to facilitate and contribute to the protection of human rights in Serbia by and before domestic judicial authorities in line with European human rights standards.

This action is implemented within the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” running from 2023 until 2026.

 

What is the goal and objective of the action?

The main objective of the action is to ensure that right-holders in Serbia enjoy their rights in line with the European human rights standards and benefit from high-quality service of the judicial system.

 

Who benefits from the action?

  • Judiciary and future legal professionals in Serbia will benefit from the action by having access to training and resources that improve their ability to handle human rights related cases and execute the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).
  • People of Serbia will benefit from the action by having their human rights better protected at the domestic level.
  • Judicial Academy, Government Agent before the European Court of Human Rights, Law Faculties, Ministry of Justice, the Constitutional Court, The Supreme Court of Cassation Republic Public Prosecutor’s Office and Ministry of European Integration, will benefits from the action by having access to the Council of Europe expertise and being supported in their institutional/administrative capacity building activities.

 

How does the action work?

  • through conferences/capacity building activities/round tables/placements to strengthen the knowledge of (future) legal professionals
  • by facilitating dialogue among the judiciary and other stakeholders for the purpose of more coherent implementation of the standards set out by the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) at the domestic level
  • through streamlining the process of the execution of ECtHR judgments, the action will involve capacity-building activities, experts' legislative assessments and awareness-raising activities focusing on the execution process and its importance in the domestic human rights protection
  • the action builds on the best practices and results of co-operation under previous two phases of the programme: action “Supporting effective remedies and mutual legal assistance in Serbia” (2016 – 2019) and “Strengthening the effective legal remedies to human rights violations in Serbia” (2019 – 2022)

 

What do we expect to achieve?

  • the mechanism for the execution of the ECtHR judgements in relation to Serbia is strengthened, as well as the position of the Government’s Agent before the ECtHR as de facto co-ordinator of the execution process at the domestic level
  • the capacity of legal (future) professionals to protect and promote human rights by applying the ECHR provisions and the ECtHR case-law in their daily work is reinforced

 

What is the budget of the action?

The total budget of the action is 1 000 000 EUR.

The budget allocated to the overall Horizontal Facility programme amounts to ca. 41 million EUR (85% funded by the European Union, 15% by the Council of Europe).

 

How to get more information?

 

About Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye

The “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” is a joint initiative of the European Union and the Council of Europe that enables the Western Balkans Beneficiaries and Türkiye to meet their reform agendas in the fields of human rights, rule of law and democracy and to comply with the European standards, which is also a priority for the EU enlargement process.