The monitoring report covers developments from September 2012 to September 2013 and its main aim is to draw attention to major concerns related to the areas covered by chapters 23 and 24.

Coalition prEUgovor Report on Progress of Serbia in Chapters 23 and 24 - September 2013

The coalition prEUgovor (eng. prEUnup) gathering expert civil society organizations has been monitoring areas related to obligations contained in political criteria and chapters 23 and 24.

Findings in these reports are a result of scrupulous monitoring of the progress made in these areas, both in terms of legislative changes and the implementation of adopted legislation.

The progress Serbia has made in areas the prEUgovor report covers is uneven and erratic.

In some areas significant steps have been made both in terms of legislative improvements and better implementation, while others have been almost a blind spot of the current government. It seems that progress is more driven by specific agendas of political actors than by regular functioning of the institutional arrangements.

Main recommendations based on prEUgovor monitoring:

1. New strategies and policies still need to be developed and adopted in a number of areas, main priorities being: reform of public administration, migration policy, the asylum system particularly related to effective social inclusion of vulnerable groups and a renewed strategy for fight against human trafficking.

2. Institutional arrangements still need significant strengthening, particularly of the Parliament, independent bodies and the judiciary. Particular attention should be paid to mechanisms ensuring accountability of the government. Institutions that deserve special attention. National Assembly and its committees Anti-Corruption Agency, Agency for Protection of Competition, Ombudsperson and other independent bodies are crucial for increase accountability of the Executive

3. Finally, and most importantly, implementation of adopted laws and strategies in these areas still needs to be significantly improved. Particular attention should be paid to constitutional and legal guarantees for human rights (the right to assembly and privacy protection). Fight against corruption depends on respect for both the letter and the spirit of a series of laws regulating key areas - public procurement, conflict of Interest, financing of political activities, to mention only but a few. Also, significantly more effort needs to be put into effective curbing of politicization and misuse of public powers across the sectors, particularly public enterprises.