14.03.2016.

SHARE

News:

CSO participation is very important in making the Negotiating position for Chapter 24

At the meeting organized by BCSP was highlighted that the opening of Chapter 24 of the negotiations for Serbia’s membership in the European Union is possible in the first half of 2016.

Draft of the negotiating position for Chapter 24 and the final version of the Action Plan for this chapter were the main topics of the consultative meeting of the Working Group for Chapter 24 within the National Convention on the EU Negotiating Group on issues of justice, freedom and security, which was organized by BCSP on 11th March 2016 in the National Assembly.

“Bylaws relating to the implementation of the Police Act, amendments to the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code, the new asylum system, the draft strategy on combating terrorism and the fight against human trafficking were found to be the short-term priorities for the next period. It is essential that civil society is involved in all these processes. We want to be consulted and to contribute with comments and guidelines,” said Director of BCSP Sonja Stojanovic Gajic during the part of the meeting that was open for public.

During 2015, civil society was involved in drafting the Action Plan Chapter 24 within the National Convention on the EU. Based on the proposed activities and evaluations of the member states on the pace and plan of their implementation, negotiating position is now being finalized. According to that interim criteria will be formed, said Tanja Miscevic, Head of the Negotiating Team for negotiations on the accession of Serbia to the European Union.

“The opening of Chapters 5, 23 and 24 is entirely realistic in the first half of this year. After screening and the screening report, from Serbia was requested to make action plans in order to open Chapter 24. Action plans are not just a wish list. They include extensive measures, deadlines, resources, competent institutions. It is necessary to consult civil society in all these segments so that negotiations can proceed according to plan,” said Miscevic.

{image2}

The draft of negotiating position for Chapter 24 says that Serbia will be ready to fully take over the acquis and that doesn’t require specific adjustments. As the deadline for full compliance the year 2018 is set, although the deadline for the completion of certain activities from the Action Plan is until 2020. It is estimated that for the successful implementation of activities in this period Serbia needs to provide a little more than 27 million from the budget, not counting funds from international development assistance that a certain number of activities use.

“Development of the Action Plan and negotiating position is the end of the first phase, and what is ahead of us is the opening of the Chapter and Intergovernmental Conference. For the first time we feel the need to share the results with representatives of civil society,” said Aleksandar Nikolic, State Secretary of the Ministry of Interior and Chairman of the Negotiating Group on justice, freedom and security.

Miodrag Lazic, from the Department for European Affairs of the Ministry of Interior said that the most of the questions about the Action Plan for Chapter 24 that EU member states had, were concerning judicial cooperation in civil and criminal matters, as well as asylum and migration, and less related to organized crime and police cooperation. He said that the upcoming elections in Serbia will not affect the further course of the negotiations.

“The caretaker government cannot adopt laws, but it was agreed to prepare draft laws envisaged by the action plan in order to be ready for the first session of the new government,” said Lazic.

After the text about Negotiating position is sent to the competent Parliamentary committees, consultations with civil society organizations gathered around NKEU will follow. After that is expected the adoption of the Negotiating position by the Government.

During the meeting it was pointed out that according to the EU’s Negotiating Framework for Serbia, the intergovernmental conference in June will present a common Negotiating position of Serbia and the EU for Chapter 24, when the formal opening of negotiations on this chapter is expected.

Apart the BCSP’s research team, in the discussion with government officials about the process of drafting and content of the Negotiating position, representatives of the European Policy Centre, Autonomous Women’s Center, Belgrade Center for Human Rights, the Center for Public Policy Research, and the Group 484 also took part.

Representatives of state institutions and civil society organizations that are members of the Working Group for Chapter 24 within NKEU, and accredited media representatives attended the meeting.,

Report was translated by BCSP Intern Nevena Mancic.

 

Tags: ..., chapter, european, first, highlighted, important, making, meeting, membership, negotiating, negotiations, opening, organized, participation, position, possible, serbia’s, union

RELATED