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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Law on families presented at expert forum

Belgrade, 31 May 2005

Serbian Minister of Justice Zoran Stojkovic stated today that the new Law on families, whose implementation could begin as of July 1, is an important systemic law that regulates family relations in detail and introduces several new approaches to resolving family disputes.

Zoran Stojkovic

The new Law on families was presented at an expert gathering, attended by experts of the Belgrade Centre for Social Services, the Belgrade Secretariat for Social and Child Protection, the Health Secretariat, the Education Secretariat, Belgrade District Court and municipal judges, police representatives, the Institute for Mental Health, the Mother and Child Institute, as well as representatives of all social protection institutions in Belgrade. Stojkovic said that this document lays out urgent deadlines for resolving court disputes and that the implementation of this law will depend on the efficiency of the courts.

He underlined that, along with the respect of those deadlines, it facilitates the implementation of obligations from the Charter on the Protection of Human Rights for regulating the protection of family relations.

According to him, this law envisages civil and legal protection from family violence and introduces shorter deadlines that should provide better protection and mediation in the peaceful resolution of family disputes.

Stojkovic said that judges would be trained in mediation procedures, adding that training funds have already been secured, and that a Mediation Centre would be opened.

Assistant Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Policy in the Sector of Family and Child Protection Slavka Lakicevic pointed out that the law has new legal institutions such as children’s rights, shared parenting rights, mediation in family disputes, marital contracts, and contracts on gifts and tenancy rights.

She said that old mechanisms have been redefined regarding protection of foster children, as well as family shelter, adoption proceedings, and the area relating to the right to alimony.

Lakicevic reminded that the Law was adopted by the Serbian parliament in February, however, its implementation was postponed so that it could be presented to the expert forum.

According to her, the law has been adapted to EU standards and is close to certain conventions that the country will ratify soon, such as conventions on interstate adoption and the position of illegitimate children.

Social service centres have been given a new role in preventing family and child problems, Lakicevic added.

The presentation of this law concludes the Ministry’s several month long promotion campaign that covered social service centres of all Serbian municipalities. The aim of the campaign was to present the new approaches and institutions laid out in the Law on families.