THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION WELCOMED THE PRESIDENT OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

The Minister of Justice and Public Administration Nikola Selaković met today with the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Jean Claude Mignon. Results of the work of the Ministry were presented at the meeting, as well as its future steps for improving the state of the judicial system in Serbia.

“The Ministry made significant steps towards improving human rights protection in Serbia and the work of the Department for Representation before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, within the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration,” said Selaković.

The Minister pointed out that the Ministry provided financial aid to junior lawyers who will undertake an internship and specialisation at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, and that the Ministry’s goal within the next 2 years is to gain 10 junior lawyers who have finished the internship.

“The goal of the Ministry is a more efficient legal system and better access to justice before Serbian courts for the citizens in Serbia, in order to reduce the number of petitions from our citizens to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg,” said the Minister.

Minister Selaković pointed out that the Ministry got a positive opinion from the Venice Commission on the draft proposal on amendments to the law and added that these changes envisaged a new form of protection of the right to trial within a reasonable time.

Minister Selaković said that the drafts of the National Strategy for Judicial Reform and the National Strategy Against Corruption were finalised, and that public debates on these strategies would be organised in the following period, as well as the action plans.

Mr Claude Mignon expressed his satisfaction with the Ministry’s performance and its plans for the future, saying that it proved that if one truly wanted something it could be realised.

At the end of the meeting, Minister Selaković thanked the President of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly and the Council of Europe Office in Belgrade for cooperation and expressed his confidence in an even more successful cooperation in the following period.