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Inclusion of Serbia in EC report on rule of law proof of progress

Belgrade/Brussels, 24 September 2024

Minister of European Integration Tanja Miščević stated today that the EU General Affairs Council at its meeting today emphasised the importance of the inclusion of four candidate countries for EU membership, including Serbia, in the report of the European Commission (EC) on the rule of law, which is proof of the progress achieved.

Speaking to journalists in Brussels, Miščević said that during the meeting it was pointed out that the rule of law is the central issue of the enlargement process, and added that by the end of the year, the EC's assessment on the subject should be published, after which Serbia could work on the Report on fulfilment of transitional criteria (IBAR) in 2025, which is important for the continuation of all processes in negotiations.

After the aforementioned meeting, where the participants discussed the general trend of the rule of law situation in Serbia, Albania, Montenegro and North Macedonia, as countries that were included for the first time in July of this year in the European Commission's report on the rule of law, she said that it is a very important moment.

She pointed out that the candidate countries are for the first time part of the process of reporting on the rule of law, which has existed for so long for all member states of the European Union.

The minister explained that the EC report outlines the state of affairs in Serbia in four important areas, namely the independence of the judiciary, media freedom, the fight against corruption, as well as in the area of power sharing.

Miščević said that now what has been done through laws, strategies and action plans will be implemented, with all EU member states and the European Commission expressing a great willingness to help through knowledge transfer, learning and sending their experts.