Members of the prEUgovor coalition, including AWC, concluded at the presentation of the new ALARM report that the ruling party is the main anti-systemic actor undermining Serbia’s constitutional order. It has no intention of improving the electoral process or discontinuing harmful practices. Amendments to criminal legislation cause more harm than good, the judiciary is under clear pressure, and operational autonomy of the police can no longer be claimed. Civil society is subject to attacks and obstruction, even in the area of victim support.

AWC representative Vanja Macanović warned of problematic amendments to the Criminal Code and especially the Criminal Procedure Code, which, as she stated, directly undermine the prosecution service as a body of prosecution. She specifically addressed amendments to the Law on Juvenile Offenders and the Protection of Juvenile Victims of Crime –an initiative that was proposed over a decade ago but was suspended by the EU due to concerns over children's rights violations. She also criticised the way in which these legal changes are being adopted, highlighting that they are primarily motivated by EU financial support through the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans. She noted that civil society is engaged with various strategies and legal amendments that fail to bring substantial change, and instead defends established standards against proposed regressions.

Nevertheless, she highlighted a positive development: increased citizen mobilisation against harmful legal proposals, which prompted a reaction from the Ministry of Justice. However, the final versions of the draft laws have still not been published, and the reports from public consultations are extremely brief and do not clarify which comments the Ministry accepted or rejected.

You can read more about the presentation of the ALARM report HERE.