Critics say the changes to the laws give court presidents more power over judges and remove mechanisms designed to guarantee the independence of prosecutors. Critics also point out that the reforms were carried out at a time when the prosecutor’s office is investigating several government and ruling party officials for corruption.
Parliament passed the controversial amendments to the law without public debate or consultation with prosecutors, judges, the European Union or the Venice Commission, the Council of Europe’s advisory body on constitutional law.
Serbia’s opposition and the EU have also condemned the reforms, but government officials insist they will lead to a better and more efficient judicial system.
“The Serbian parliament’s vote to limit the independence of the judiciary is a serious step back on Serbia’s path to the EU,” EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kosa warned on Wednesday on the “X” platform.
Vucic admitted that the reforms should have been discussed in a broad public debate and the EU should have been consulted, but stressed that the amendments to the law were in line with the Serbian constitution.
The newly adopted legislation was submitted as a separate proposal by the lawmaker of the ruling Progressive Party of Serbia (SNS), Ugleša Mrdić, which allowed them to be adopted as a matter of urgency. This prevented the Supreme Judicial Council and the Supreme Prosecution Council from issuing opinions on the reforms.
The opposition claims that authorities are trying to remove Serbia’s top prosecutors in corruption and organized crime cases as they investigate cases against several high-ranking government and SNS officials.
“These laws become the last nail in the coffin of the Serbian prosecutor’s office and the judicial system,” says Marinika Tepiča, an MP from the opposition Freedom and Justice Party.
Faced with long-running anti-corruption protests, Vucic has become increasingly critical of judges and prosecutors, including those investigating the collapse of a canopy at a train station in Novi Sad. The incident killed 16 people and sparked widespread protests against corruption, which many blamed for the tragedy.