site.btaSerbia to Revote on Disputed Judicial Laws by End-May

Disputed judicial laws in Serbia will be put to a new vote by the end of May, the country's Chief Negotiator with the EU Danijel Apostolovic said on Monday, as quoted by public broadcaster RTS.

Apostolovic, who is also Serbia's Ambassador to the EU, stressed that Belgrade had acted swiftly on the recommendations of the Venice Commission regarding the disputed laws, which the professional community assessed as an attempt at political interference in the judiciary and which the European Commission described as a significant step backwards for Serbia's EU integration.

Apostolovic said the draft laws will be sent to the Venice Commission on May 8 and, if given the green light, will then be submitted to the Serbian parliament for a vote. The ambassador added that representatives of the European Commission had been informed of all steps taken to amend the package of judicial laws.

Apostolovic underlined that there is no official EU decision to freeze, halt or withdraw funding for Serbia, despite speculation in recent days, RTS reported.

At the end of last week, the European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said that the EU had frozen funds for Serbia. She argued that payments to Belgrade will not be restored until the rollback in the country's judicial reform is overcome. In April, a spokesperson for the European Commission explained that before any EU payment is made, a check is carried out to ensure the recipient country is meeting the required conditions. With regard to Serbia, he noted, there are concerns about the recently adopted legislation related to justice. In his words, key reforms are needed relating to the rule of law and media legislation.

Speaking to RTS on Monday, Apostolovic said the funds in question are intended for vital projects in energy, energy diversification and environmental protection.

He expressed the view that Serbia needs broader consensus on European integration.