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Third Steering Committe Meeting of the action “Strengthening independence and accountability of the judiciary”

The Horizontal Facility action “Strengthening independence and accountability of the judiciary” held its third Steering Committee Meeting today in Belgrade, Serbia. This was the Action’s first hybrid meeting, with a mix of physical presence and online participation.

Apart from representatives of the EU Delegation to Serbia and the Council of Europe, the meeting was attended by representatives of all beneficiary institutions including the High Judicial Council, the State Prosecutorial Council, the Judicial Academy, as well as by the observers to the Steering Committee, the Ministry of European Integration, and the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society.

The meeting was opened by Tobias Flessenkemper, Head of the Belgrade Office of the Council of Europe, who stressed that the rule of law, and especially issues pertaining to judicial independence, remain in the very focus of our efforts in Serbia, as we seek to expand partnerships with national stakeholders, focusing on enhancing co-operation with the Government, with the judiciary and independent institutions. He also emphasised that the meeting comes in time of preparations for the 70th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights that will take place in November and that will serve as a wonderful opportunity to confirm our commitment to upholding human rights, democracy and the rule of law across the continent.

The Steering Committee members agreed on the calendar of activities for the forthcoming six months, with some activities redesigned in order to allow for the realisation throughout the sanitary crisis caused by the COVID-19. The majority of work will focus on judicial and prosecutorial ethics, preventing undue influence on the judiciary, and building capacities of court spokespersons and prosecutorial services across Serbia. The Steering Committee also discussed further efforts aimed at gender mainstreaming at the level of activities.

This action is part of the “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”, a co-operation initiative of the European Union and the Council of Europe, implemented by the Council of Europe, which aims at assisting beneficiaries in the Western Balkans region and Turkey to comply with the Council of Europe standards and European Union acquis in the framework of the enlargement process, where relevant.

Belgrade 16 September 2020
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