The prEUgovor coalition presents its latest Alarm – report on Serbia's progress in implementation of policies in the areas covered by Cluster 1 (Fundamentals), with the focus on political criteria and chapters 23 (Judiciary & Fundamental Rights) and 24 (Justice, Freedom & Security) of the EU accession negotiations. The event will take place on Wednesday, 18 May 2022 from 11:00 at Prostor Miljenko Dereta, (Dobračina 55) and online.
The reporting period, from November 2021 to April 2022, was marked by a referendum on constitutional amendments and general elections with accompanying campaigns. Legal solutions in these areas were again changed at the last minute, but the problem of the public officials’ campaign remains unresolved. Reactions of the competent authorities to the mass civic protests, the defense of the mural of a convicted war criminal in Belgrade city centre and the discovery of labor exploitation of Vietnamese workers in Zrenjanin with elements of human trafficking, caused concern in the country and abroad. The catastrophic consequences of the widespread practice of appointing acting directors in public companies materialized in December.
The crisis caused by the COVID-19 epidemic was replaced at the end of February by a new one - caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This crisis significantly affects the EU enlargement policy and the position of Serbia, which in December, after a two-year standstill, finally unblocked negotiations by opening cluster 4, and in Chapter 24 opens the challenges of dealing with the new wave of refugees.
Ahead of the new non-paper of the European Commission for Chapters 23 and 24, the prEUgovor coalition focuses on these topics, with the following conference panellists:
- Jelena Pejić Nikić, Belgrade Centre for Security Policy, editor of the Report
- Nemanja Nenadić, Transparency Serbia
- Jasmina Krunić, ASTRA
- Gordana Grujičić, Group 484
Moderator: Nikola Burazer, European Western Balkans
The working language of the conference is Serbian. Simultaneous translation into English will be provided.
Please, confirm your attendance at [email protected] by 17 May, close of business.
If you prefer to follow the conference online via Zoom, please register here.
The conference is organised as part of two projects implemented by the prEUgovor coalition:
"PrEUgovor for Rule of Law and EU integration of Serbia" supported by Balkan Trust for Democracy, a project of the German Marshall Fund of the United States and the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Belgrade.
"PrEUgovor Policy Watch: building alliances for stronger impact in uncertain future," funded by the European Union.