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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Next year to be more successful in terms of European integration

Belgrade, 17 December 2020

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic stated today that EU membership is a priority and strategic goal of Serbia and voiced hope that next year will be much more successful than 2020 in terms of European integration.

Speaking at a plenary session of the National Convention on the EU, Brnabic said that she had just completed a session of the Council for Stabilisation and Association in Brussels with Minister for European Integration Jadranka Joksimovic, at which all relevant topics for Serbia’s European integration at this moment and preparations for 2021 were discussed.

She said that three key priorities of the Serbian government in the field of European integration are the rule of law, the economy and environmental protection.

The Prime Minister underlined that the rule of law is the biggest priority and that the new government has already undertaken important activities in that field during the first month and a half of its mandate.

We made some steps which I hope people will recognise as a good signal that the government will deal with this issue in the right way and with dedication, Brnabic said.

She pointed out that constitutional reforms are key in the field of justice, noting that the government has again sent an initiative to the National Assembly to change the Constitution in the field of justice.

I am especially glad that, although there is criticism from a part of the public in Serbia and the EU that nothing has been done in that area so far, a lot has changed through the process of reforming the Constitution.

According to her, in the past we have had changes to the Constitution, and even to a greater extent than just changes in the field of judiciary, but we have never had a public debate about those changes before.

The Prime Minister recalled that now there has been a public debate on what should be changed in the Constitution, which lasted for 18 months.

She voiced hope that the Assembly will start dealing with that topic soon and that there will be another round of public debate shortly.

The Prime Minister added that there are some mechanisms for the improvement of the judiciary, which are now being developed together with EU partners, such as the formation of a unified judicial information system.

She expressed the expectation that a debate will begin in the Assembly by the end of the year on the adoption of the proposal of the High Judicial Council for court presidents and judges, which will be a big step forward.

Speaking about the media, Brnabic recalled that the Serbian government adopted the Media Strategy Action Plan and that a Working group for monitoring the implementation of the strategy was formed, which was completely inclusive.

In addition, a Working group for the protection and safety of journalists was also formed, and journalists' associations pointed to the need of forming an institutional working group within the government.

Speaking about the economy, Brnabic reiterated that Serbia will end 2020 with the smallest drop in GDP in Europe of only one percent, while in the countries of the region, the fall in GDP is expected to be between four and 12 percent.