Serbia found itself at the crossroads of political and European priorities after the Serbian Parliament adopted a set of judicial amendments of the law, also known as "Mrdić's laws", which caused strong reactions both in the country and in the institutions of the European Union (EU). The adopted laws could seriously weaken the independence of the judiciary, but also slow down or even stop the accession process of Serbia to the EU.
This is evidenced by the very sharp criticism and concern of the European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos. "When a country is a candidate for European integration, and Serbia is, we expect it to behave in accordance with European values. This represents a serious step backwards because the amendments were adopted in a very quick and non-transparent procedure, without any consultation," she said.
A kind of "pack" followed, as Marta Kos pointed out that "it is interesting to see a new dynamic in the EU enlargement process", noting that Albania and Montenegro, as she stated, "are progressing really fast towards membership, while Serbia is going in the opposite direction".
"I honestly don't understand why this is happening and it's something we don't want to see. That's why I call on the Assembly of Serbia to review those laws as soon as possible and bring the judicial laws into line with EU standards. We really want Serbia to be part of the European Union and I won't stop working on it," said Marta Kos.
Even the European Commission did not stay silent on "Mrdić's laws" and announced an assessment of the content of the adopted amendments. "These changes could represent a significant step backwards in Serbia's commitment to its path towards EU accession," the European Commission told N1.
The administration in Brussels did not miss the opportunity to remind that the amendments to judicial laws were prepared and adopted "in an accelerated and non-transparent procedure, without public consultation with all relevant actors, including the European Commission and the Venice Commission". "Serbia, as a candidate country, is expected to strengthen the independence of the judiciary and the autonomy of the prosecution in accordance with the recommendations of the European Commission," the European Commission said.
The European Democratic Party, which called on the European Commission to "act decisively" against "Mrdić's laws", made sure that there were no doubts about what the European democratic public thinks about the events in Serbia. They also emphasized that EU accession is conditioned by "the real rule of law and the independence of the judiciary". In the press release of that party, it was stated that the changes further distance Serbia from EU standards and represent a "dangerous move" that facilitates political control over the judicial system.
Just two days after the "Mrdić Laws" were adopted, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić had a meeting with the ambassadors of the EU member states. What Vučić posted on Instagram on that occasion can only be a cause for great concern for all those who really want to see Serbia in the EU.
"An open and substantive conversation with the ambassadors of the EU member states about Serbia's European path, the reforms we are implementing and the challenges we face. Serbia remains committed to dialogue, stability and a responsible approach, with a clear desire to show through its work and results that it is a reliable partner to the European Union," said Vučić, among other things.
That lifeless, possibly and deliberately ironic bunch of generalities thrown into rigid diplomatic sentences most certainly means the exact opposite of what Vučić claims: neither the conversation was meaningful, because Serbia passes anti-European laws that would destroy and subjugate the judiciary, nor does Serbia remain committed to dialogue, because Serbia shows with such behavior that it does not actually want to be part of the EU.
In support of the anti-European aspirations of the Serbian regime, the decision of the Government of Serbia to establish the Operational Team for Serbia's Accession to the European Union, based on Vučić's proposal, is also supported. The official task of that team is "strengthening coordination, acceleration and improvement of activities in the process of European integration of Serbia". It is unnecessary to talk about the pointlessness of establishing a team due to a huge number of reasons, one of which is the existence of the Ministry of European Integration.
That is why the real task of that team can be embodied in a paraphrase of that old political wisdom about the art of definitely "archiving" unpleasant issues under the guise of serious work: "If you want a problem not to be solved, you establish an operational team", because while the Operational Team defines the rules of procedure, either the will of the citizens of Serbia to become part of the European family will completely disappear or the EU will disintegrate under the merciless attacks of populists around the world.
