The 7th Steering Committee Meeting of the joint CoE/EU project “Support for the Implementation of Judicial Reform in Serbia” was held on 27 June 2025 in Belgrade. The Head of the Co-operation Programmes Division of the Council of Europe and the Head of the South-East Europe Unit in the Co-operation Programmes Division welcomed the participants on behalf of the Council of Europe and they praised the continued commitment and constructive engagement of the beneficiary institutions as vital to the progress achieved. The close partnership with, and indispensable support of, the European Union—both strategic and financial—was emphasised as central to advancing the rule of law in Serbia and to aligning its judicial system with European standards.
The representatives of beneficiary institutions acknowledged the timely support and flexibility of the project as key factors contributing to the significant results achieved in advancing judicial reform. They highlighted the decisive shift towards greater transparency in legislative processes as well as the enhanced sense of ownership stemming from the joint planning of activities, as principal outcomes of the project.
The activities undertaken in the framework of the project focused on raising awareness among judges and prosecutors about the significance of the reforms, particularly the enhanced roles of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Councils and the safeguards established for judicial and prosecutorial independence. These were presented and discussed. The training of newly elected judges on ethics and integrity, in co-operation with the Justice Academy, was underlined as an important tool for building the judiciary’s capacity to implement the new legislation. The need for further work on raising awareness of undue influence, and the role of the Councils in protecting judges and prosecutors, was also highlighted.
The continued emphasis on the effective implementation of the new rules, and the need to strengthen the capacities of the judicial and prosecutorial councils to successfully exercise their mandates, underscore the strong need for continued support for judicial reform in the upcoming period. The partnership between the European Union and the Council of Europe in fostering judicial reform in Serbia and ensuring the independence of the judiciary through future joint actions is currently being consolidated.