On 27 May 2025, the Council of Europe, through the joint EU–Council of Europe CyberSEE project, held a high-level Domestic meeting in Belgrade to support Serbia’s efforts to bring the domestic legislation fully in line with the Second Additional Protocol (2AP) to the Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention).
The event was organised in cooperation with the criminal justice authorities of Serbia, and gathered representatives from the Ministry of Justice, Supreme Public Prosecution Office, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Telecommunication, Data Protection Authority, National Police and the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia, alongside experts from the Council of Europe’s Cybercrime Programme Office (C-PROC). Participants examined legal, institutional, and operational aspects of the Second Additional Protocol’s implementation in the Serbian context.
Discussions focused on Serbia’s ratification law, the guidance offered in the Explanatory Report to the Protocol, and the implications of EU Council Decision 2023/436, particularly the required reservations, declarations, and communications relevant to EU Member States and candidate countries. The meeting also explored the legal and procedural steps Serbia must undertake to effectively apply the Protocol’s enhanced cooperation tools, such as direct cooperation with service providers, expedited disclosure of data, and joint investigations.
The workshop contributed to strengthening national understanding of the Protocol’s requirements and helped clarify the roles and responsibilities of institutions involved in its implementation. It also served as an opportunity to consider the establishment of a national working group to guide future legislative reform in alignment with the Protocol’s provisions.
The Council of Europe, through its Cybercrime Programme Office (C-PROC) and the CyberSEE project, remains committed to supporting Serbian authorities in aligning their legal and institutional frameworks with international standards on cybercrime and electronic evidence, and in promoting effective cross-border cooperation in the region, in line with the standards of the Budapest Convention and its Second Additional Protocol.
Cybercrime Programme Office (C-PROC)
Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention)