TS: Serbia should open Chapter 23 as soon as possible

TS: Serbia should open Chapter 23 as soon as possible

The resources for the battle against corruption in Serbia have not increased significantly, but this battle is among the Serbian government's priorities, the meeting heard.

It is necessary to open Chapter 23 as soon as possible in order to make the battle against corruption successful, Transparency Serbia Executive Director Nemanja Nenadić said, adding hatt it was now time to establish European standards and principles in that field.

Serbia is conducting a judiciary reform while the lawyers have been on strike for two months, which affects unavoidably the work of the judiciary, he pointed out.

Transparency Serbia Programme Director Vladimir Goati stressed that Serbia was a country in a late transition, while the establishment of the rule a law, on the other hand, took decades.

When it comes to the battle against corruption, Serbia could look up to the Czech Republic, where the process has already been completed, Goati believes.

Head of the consular department of the Czech embassy in Belgrade Veronica Senyukova said her country had a lot of experience with transition and ways out of it and would gladly impart it to other countries.

The Czech Republic wishes to present its knowledge and experience on how to deal with corruption, she stated, adding that it was a good thing that Serbia would complete its transition once it joined the EU.

It is necessary to recognise all problems and decide on their solutions at the very start of the talks, otherwise the battle against corruption will become an obstacle to Serbia's EU accession, the participants of the meeting concluded.