Today, Minister of Justice Nela Kuburović met with H.E. Axel Dittmann, the German Ambassador to Serbia, to discuss the advancement of cooperation and the implementation of projects concerning the judiciary which had been funded by Germany. They noted that one of those projects – implemented by GIZ - was for the improvement of the administrative judiciary in Serbia. They added that the implementation of a new project aimed at the strengthening of the rule of law would commence in 2019, one which would support the implementation of Chapter 23 Action Plan.

With respect to Chapter 23, Minister Kuburović said that one of the biggest tasks was the amendment to the provisions of the Constitution relating to the judiciary, of which a draft would soon be published. She explained that the draft would be subject to a public debate and submitted to the Venice Commission for a positive opinion without which it would not proceed to the next step of the parliamentary adoption procedure.

Kuburović added that the final round of the public debate on the Personal Data Protection Bill had been closed. She said that the debate lasted for 45 days, during which time many constructive suggestions had been received. She explained that the majority of those suggestions would be accepted, some of which had referred to the proposals submitted by the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection. In conclusion, she said that the revised text of the draft would be published on the Ministry of Justice website and sent to the European Commission for an opinion.

Ambassador Dittmann noted that the activities implemented by the Ministry of Justice showed a great desire for progress, for which reason Germany was supporting Serbia on its path to joining the EU. He emphasised the key role of Chapter 23 in the European integration process.