The Prosecutors’ Association of Serbia in co-operation with the action “Strengthening Legal Guarantees for Independent and Impartial Tribunals” organised a conference on independence of prosecutors which brought together around 200 prosecutors, deputy prosecutors as well as judges and representatives of civil society organisations. The Conference, which focused on the European standards with respect to prosecutorial independence in light of Serbia’s progress in Chapter 23 EU accession negotiations, took place on 7 December 2018 in Belgrade.

Mr Tobias Flessenkemper, Head of Mission of the Council of Europe Office in Belgrade stated during opening remarks that civil society, especially professional associations such as the Association of Prosecutors, constitute an indispensable part of democracies as they serve to broaden public dialogue on matters vital to the enjoyment of human rights and the respect for the rule of law. The observations of the members of the judiciary are important for the forthcoming parliamentary discussion on constitutional amendments, and generally for the work on the independence of the judiciary.

Following introductions from two Council of Europe experts, presenting standards from across member states, prosecutors and deputy prosecutors engaged in discussing prosecutorial independence and preventing undue influence on the prosecution service, especially in politically sensitive cases.

The Conference on Prosecutorial Independence was organised in co-operation with the action “Strengthening Legal Guarantees for Independent and Impartial Tribunals”, which is part of the "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey", a joint programme co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe.