Today, Justice Minister Nela Kuburović received the Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, Ambassador Sem Fabrizi with whom she discussed Serbia’s progress regarding the Negotiation Chapter 23, as well as the upcoming amendments to the justice sector provisions of the Constitution. Minister Kuburović said that the Ministry of Justice would soon finalise the new amendments to the Constitution, which would be entirely aligned with the recommendations of the Venice Commission. After that – she explained -, the Ministry would hold one more round table where it would present the new text of the amendments in order to resolve any potential disagreements on the text.

Ambassador Fabrizi welcomed the Ministry’s initiative to organise an additional round table and noted that a compromise which would satisfy all the interested parties needed to be reached. He also positively viewed the upcoming public debate on the amendments to the Constitution - for the organisation of which the Council for Constitutional Matters and Legislation would be in charge if the National Assembly adopts the Government’s initiative for amending justice sector provisions of the Constitution -, which required a two-thirds majority vote of the deputies.

With respect to other legislation drafting activities, the Minister stressed that after several years, the text of the Free Legal Aid Bill had been finalised which was with the relevant ministries for review following which it would be submitted to the Government for adoption. 

“In addition, the Government would be presented with the Personal Data Protection Bill for adoption, a legislation which had received positive reviews from the European Commission and Eurojust”, Kuburović said. She added that the Ministry was waiting for the European Commission to give its opinion on the Anti-Corruption Bill which was to be submitted to the deputies by the end of the year.