LOCAL PRESS

 

RIK latest results of the early parliamentary elections (RTS)

Based on 97.46 percent of processed data, RIK announced that 8,164 polling stations have been processed out of the total number of 8,302 stations, i.e. 213 polling stations have still not been processed. The total turnout is 3.686,480 voters or 56.34 percent. The number of invalid ballots is 2.86 percent.

According to the present preliminary results, if this trend continues, this would be the composition of the Serbian parliament:

Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) – 48.25% (or 131 mandates)

Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS)- United Serbia (JS) – 11.01 % (or 30 mandates)

Serbian Radical Party (SRS) – 8.05% (or 21 mandates)

Democratic Party (DS) - 6.05% (or 16 mandates)

Enough Movement (DJB) – 5.99% (or 16 mandates)

Social-Democrat Party (SDS)-Liberal-Democratic Party (LDP)- League of Social-Democrats of Vojvodina (LSV) – 5.03 % (or 13 mandates)

Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS)-Dveri – 5% (or 13 mandates)

Minority parties that would enter parliament:

Union of Vojvodina Hungarians (SVM) – 1.53% (or 4 mandates)

Bosniak Democratic Association of Sandzak (BDZS) Muarem Zukorlic – 0.85% (or 2 mandates)

Party of Democratic Action (SDA) Sandzak Sulejman Ugljanin – 0.79% (or 2 mandates)

Party for Democratic Action (PDD) – Ardita Sinani – 0.43% (or 1 mandate)

Green Party (ZS) – 1 mandate

The final results of the parliamentary elections should be announced by 8 p.m. on Thursday, 28 April at the latest, while the mandate of the new convocation of the Serbian parliament should be assigned by 8 May at the latest.

 

Opposition in RIK: We will control the entire electoral material (RTS/FoNet/Beta)

Following a meeting with RIK officials, the leaders of the Serbian opposition have announced that they will control the entire electoral material. Prior to their arrival at the RIK press conference, the leaders of four opposition parties held a meeting and accused RIK of “electoral manipulations”. “The DS will be absolutely support the right to vote of everyone who is fighting for every vote of Serbian citizens. We are ready to take part in the examination of all results from the parliamentary, provincial and local elections,” said the DS leader Bojan Pajtic following the meeting with RIK representatives. Beta reports that the press conference in RIK was also attended by Boris Tadic, Cedomir Jovanovic, Sasa Radulovic, Aleksandra Jerkov, Balsa Bozovic, Sanda Raskovic Ivic, Bosko Obradovic, Marko Djurisic, and Nenad Konstantinovic.

The press conference lasted 45 minutes over various questions of the opposition in regard to irregularities during the electoral process, wondering why it took so long RIK to announce the first preliminary results. “There is no freedom or democracy in Serbia… We must not allow this fraud,” said the DSS leader Sanda Raskovic Ivic. Her coalition partner, Dveri leader Bosko Obradovic says that RIK allowed the opposition to have insight into the entire electoral material. “We will stay here to prevent electoral manipulation,” said Obradovic. The leader of the Enough Movement Sasa Radulovic also announced the examination of the entire electoral material, “including deceased and phantom voters”. The SDS leader Boris Tadic says that every vote needs to be defended because “the entire legal system is destroyed by violating and retailoring electoral will”. “All parties have consent regarding electoral results and we will all together have insight into the records and ballots that arrive in RIK,” said Tadic.

 

Discrepancies in Vojvodina results (RTS/B92)

According to the data of the Provincial Electoral Commission (PIK) on the 34.9 percent of electoral body, the SNS won 52.50 percent of the votes, the SPS-JS won 10.83 percent, the DS won 7.50 percent, the SRS won 8.33 percent, the SVM won 10 percent, the LSV won 6.67 percent. At the elections for the Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, 15 electoral lists had their candidates for 120 seats in the provincial assembly. PIK established that the final number of voters was 1.729,437. These are the first provincial elections where the proportional electoral system is used, the same one that is used for the republic and local elections. There is a major shift in Vojvodina following years of the rule of the Democratic Party.

So far, 623 polling stations were processed out of 1.785 polling stations in Vojvodina, and based on this data, 118.271 people voted for the SNS. The above results do not include the polling stations of the largest towns in Vojvodina, such as Novi Sad, Zrenjanin, Subotica, Sremska Mitrovica, because the data from these towns have not yet arrived in PIK.

According to the latest results by the Center for Free Elections and Democracy (CeSID), the SNS won 44.29 percent of the voted in Vojvodina, followed by the SPS-JS coalition with 8.45 percent. The third is the SRS with 7.68 percent, followed the DS with 7.64 percent. The fifth position is Nenad Canak’s LSV with 6.47 percent, and the last on the list with over five percent of the voters is the Enough Movement with 5.84 percent, while Istvan Pasztor’s SVM won 4.89 percent of the votes.

According to the very first preliminary results of PIK, SVM won 32.6 percent, SNS won 19.5 percent, DS won 12.4 percent, DZVM won 12.1 percent, LSV won 5 percent, SDS won 4.1 percent, and SPS and SRS won 3 percent each.

 

First coalition - Mirovic: We are going with the SVM in Vojvodina (B92)

The SNS vice president Igor Mirovic has stated that this party will certainly be in coalition with the League of Vojvodina Hungarians (SVM) in the Vojvodina government. “Of course, we will also talk with other parties, but we will not make compromises regarding issues of Vojvodina’s economic development and changes of the past policy since citizens had given the mandate to a new policy. We will not make compromises regarding issues of settling relations in Vojvodina, since the past policy made many mistakes, and citizens had rejected it. This means that we will make future alliances based on our policy,” said Mirovic.

 

McAllister congratulates Vucic and SNS on election victory (Tanjug)

European Parliament Rapporteur on Serbia David McAllister congratulated Aleksandar Vucic and the SNS on the victory in the parliamentary elections and lauded the democratic spirit of the Serbian people. Serbia plays a key role in ensuring stability in the Western Balkans. Thanks to a constructive approach of Prime Minister Vucic to relations with neighboring countries, substantial progress has been made in regional cooperation and closer ties with the European Union have been created, McAllister said in a statement. Serbia can now focus on further strengthening the rule of law, fight against corruption and public administration reform, introducing economic reforms and guaranteeing media freedoms, so that it can get even closer to the European Union, said McAllister. Europe is facing challenging times. The voice of Serbia plays a role in defining the future of our continent. I look forward to continuing close cooperation with the parliament and government in Belgrade, said McAllister.

 

Vucic - “New momentum” in relations with Britain (B92)

Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic received on Monday British Ambassador to Serbia Denis Keefe, the Serbian government said on its website. The diplomat handed Vucic a letter from the British heir to the throne Prince Charles, emphasizing the hospitality that Serbia offered during his recent visit. Vucic thanked for the letter and said that the visit of the royal couple brought a new momentum in relations between the two countries, according to the website. The British Ambassador congratulated Prime Minister Vucic on the victory and the excellent results achieved by the Serbian Progressive Party in the elections held yesterday. Vucic said that he is primarily pleased that the elections were held in a peaceful and democratic atmosphere. He told the Ambassador that the priorities of the future government of Serbia will be economic progress of the country, European integration and regional cooperation.

 

OSCE reports orderly completion of voting in Kosovo and Metohija (Tanjug)

Voter turnout in Kosovo stood at 44 percent, the OSCE said in Pristina. The polling stations closed at 8 p.m., with no incident registered during polling hours. After the close of polls, the OSCE transported the collected ballot papers to Raska and Vranje in central Serbia and handed them over to the national electoral commission for counting and accompanying procedures, Tanjug reported. A total of 106,094 people in Kosovo and Metohija were eligible to vote in Serbian parliamentary elections.

 

Ristic: Shots were fired at my house, no one is injured (Tanjug)

Slavisa Ristic, a candidate for a seat in the Serbian parliament, said late on Sunday that unknown persons had fired shots from automatic weapons at his house in the village of Jagnjenica near Zubin Potok in northern Kosovo, but luckily, no one had been injured. Ristic told Tanjug that the incident occurred a few minutes past 10 p.m. on Sunday and 12 people, including six children, had been at the house at the time of the attack.  Ristic, former president of the Zubin Potok Municipality, said the shots had hit a window of his house. The incident was reported to the Kosovo police.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Dodik congratulates Vucic on victory (Srna)

The SNSD leader Milorad Dodik congratulated the SNS leader Aleksandar Vucic on the victory at the early parliamentary elections in Serbia. “The result that you have achieved represents an honor for your party, but also responsibility to fulfill all expectations of citizens who had entrusted you at the elections,” said Dodik. He reiterated the firm dedication for constant improvement and development of relations between the RS and Serbia, the SNSD said in a release.

 

Crnadak: Serbia will not change course toward B&H following elections (Nezavisne/Srna) B&H Foreign Minister Igor Crnadak is convinced that the new Serbian government will not change its course towards B&H. “I do not expect any major changes and I am sure that we will continue to build good relations between Serbia and B&H,” Crnadak told a press conference in Banja Luka.
What was discussed with the CIA director? (klix)

“The meeting with the Director of CIA John O. Brennan took place in a pleasant, constructive and friendly atmosphere,” said Director of the Federation Police Administration Dragan Lukac.

“We exchanged our opinions on the matters of security, which was expected. The meeting was very constructive and well-organized by the Intelligence and Security Agency of BiH (OSA). Everything went very well,” said Lukac. He said that they discussed the fight against terrorism at the meeting as well, but there was no special emphasis on this issue. “We talked about the security situation in B&H. Therefore, the normal topics that are usually discussed at the meetings of this type,” concluded Lukac. Director of the CIA said that B&H is a very important partner of the USA in the fight against terrorism. He praised the previous work of the police and the Intelligence and Security Agency, and said that his visit to our country represents the support for everything they have done so far. Brennan held a meeting with members of the Strike Force for fight against terrorism after which he went into the building of the B&H Presidency where he met with its members. It is not known still for how long the first man the CIA plans to keep in the capital of B&H.

 

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

 

Pro-EU Vucic set for landslide in Serbian snap election (EurActiv/AFP, 25 April 2016)

Serbia’s pro-European Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić claimed victory in yesterday’s (24 April) general election after projections showed him winning by a landslide. But the hardline Radicals are set to return to Parliament after a 4-year absence. Vučić’s Serbian Progressive Party was on track to win around half of the vote, with his Socialist coalition partners in second place with around 11%, according to independent observers at the Centre for Free Elections and Democracy (CESID). The far-right Radicals were also set to return to parliament after four years without seats, led by ultra-nationalist Vojislav Šešelj who was recently acquitted of war crimes charges arising from the 1990s Balkan conflicts. The Radicals were expected to win more than seven percent of the vote, CESID said, clearing the five percent threshold to give them a platform in parliament for their strongly anti-Western and pro-Russian views. Premier since 2014, 46-year-old Vučić had called the early election saying he needed a clear mandate to press ahead with the potentially unpopular reforms required to join the European Union. But critics saw the vote as an attempt to consolidate power, expressing concerns about Vučić’s authoritarian tendencies including curbs on media freedom. A former Šešelj ally turned centrist politician, Vučić said in a victory speech late Sunday that the results showed support for reforms and “European integration”, handing him a “huge responsibility”. “I know where we should go, I know how to ensure the future of Serbia and how to work hard to get there.” European Commissioner Johannes Hahn was among the first to congratulate Vučić on Twitter.

Serbia, home to seven million people, opened the first stages in EU membership negotiations in December, although Brussels has said there will be no further enlargement of the bloc until 2020.

Serbia’s accession talks face difficulty over Croatia’s refusal to open a key chapter.

The election was Serbia’s third in four years and enthusiasm appeared in short supply as voters queued at polling stations. “We have elections too often,” retired 68-year-old Jelica Nikolic told AFP in Belgrade, saying she and her husband Radomir were voting more out of duty than conviction. In the southwestern city of Novi Pazar, Edib Mahmutovic, 40, hoped the victors would “create new jobs that enable us to stay here and not have to look for a better life elsewhere in Europe”. Turnout was around 55%, higher than in 2014.

Reforms required

It remained unclear how many other parties would enter parliament, with several of the fractured opposition groups hovering around the five percent threshold in projected results.

Powerful Vučić will now face the task of reforming inefficient state-run companies and the bloated public sector, measures required by the EU and as part of a loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund. Serbia remains one of the poorest countries in Europe, with unemployment at about 20% and an average monthly wage of about €360. Hardliner Šešelj – who could now become the leading opposition figure in parliament – called on Serbs to embrace Russia in a virulently anti-Western campaign, which included attacks on NATO for its 1999 bombing of Serbia during the Kosovo war. “We are not happy with the election results, we expected more,” Šešelj said late Sunday, adding that the Radicals would “show we are superior” in parliament. Russia, a fellow Slavic and largely Orthodox Christian country, is considered a supportive ally by many Serbians – especially for denying the sovereignty of Kosovo, which unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Although Vučić warned voters of the far-right threat, analysts say having hardliners in parliament could be a useful tool for the premier to present himself as a moderate leader. “The Radicals’ presence could be a good way for the Progressive Party to claim there is pluralism in Serbia,” said Bojan Klacar, director of the CESID.

 

Vucic eyes clear victory in Serbian elections (DW, 24 April 2016)

Serbians elect a new parliament on Sunday. Aleksandar Vucic is a sure winner in the election; the question is only whether his conservative party will achieve an absolute majority.

Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia's prime minister, is omnipresent at the moment. His smile is plastered everywhere on placards and in advertising spots. Still, he acts as though this election is completely uninteresting. He's too busy working for the country from dawn to dusk to even notice it. Yet one media agency determined that in the weeks running up to Sunday's elections, more than half of the broadcast time on the national television broadcaster was spent on Vucic, the Serbian Progressive Party he is a part of and its party officials. The socialist party, which is in a coalition with the Serbian Progressive Party, placed second in media coverage and was followed by opposition parties, which were mainly presented in a poor light. "The Serbian Progressive Party's strategy was one tailored to the prime minister, a fully personalized campaign," said philosopher Vladimir Milutinovic. Some in Serbia have said the early elections were called so Vucic could extend his time in the prime minister's office and solidify his party's position across the country. Without a fresh vote, he could have governed through 2018.

According to analysts, the parliamentary elections now fall on the same day as elections in many communities and cities as well as in the northern province of Vojvodina. This could lead to greater election victories for his party at the local level due to Vucic's popularity.

"The government has hindered any substantial debate - it has looked for obedient, unsophisticated voters who will cast their vote for those who are already predicated to gain a victory," Milutinovic wrote on his blog.

Everyone is against him

Governing officials have another explanation for the elections: a strong mandate is required to enact important reformers. Since Vucic has governed the economically ailing Balkan nation, the former nationalist has presented himself as an EU advocate and moral crusader. Vucic gained points in European capitals by signing an agreement with Kosovo - although Serbia still does not recognize what it regards as its southern province's claims to independence. The agreement, however, opened the door to Serbia's negotiations for EU membership, which finally began last December. It's not all coming up roses, for Vucic though. Despite the policy of hard cuts and reductions in wages and pensions, economic success remains elusive. The unemployment rate is well above the 17 percent officially declared by the government; in polls, two-thirds of all parents would encourage their children to leave the country to secure a better future.

Despite a large base of supporters, sympathetic media coverage and a divided opposition all coming together to guarantee a win for the Serbian Progressive Party, Vucic repeats the notion that he will lose the race because of his brave policies and unwillingness to capitulate to either Brussels or Moscow. The most widely distributed tabloid, "Alo," recently ran a cover story based on the theory that the entire opposition - both pro-Western and pro-Russian parties - have conspired to topple Vucic and distribute the government postings among themselves.

The belief that Vucic is being threatened from all sides is pure posturing and exaggeration, Dragoljub Zarkovic, editor-in-chief of the Belgrade weekly "Vreme," wrote. The prime minister is using it to galvanize his voting base. "Vucic has a vested interest in gaining a higher turnout rate for the vote," Zarkovic said. "The infamous 5 percent hurdle is relative when, for example, 60 percent of the voting population turns out instead of 50 percent. A higher rate of turnout also increases the number of outsiders."

A colorful parliament?

Predictions for the election forecast a factious parliament. The governing Progressive Party cannot expect more than 40 percent of the vote; the advancement of the co-governing Socialist party is likewise certain. Beyond that, the predictions include two or three "citizen options" - code used to describe the EU-friendly and democratic parties. A bit of dissent could come from two of the nationally minded parties that insist Kosovo is Serbia, call for closer ties to Russia and are skeptical of the European Union. One of the faces of the right-national spectrum has already gained wide international attention. The ideologue Vojislav Seselj was acquitted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague in the first instance at the end of March. He said he sees the ruling as legitimizing his nationalistic rabble-rousing. For Seselj, the burning of Croatian, EU and NATO flags in front of live cameras during the election is business as usual.

Experts agree Seselj will be more than a minor nuisance to the political process in Serbia.

"He will be a permanent provocation and a continuous problem for parliamentary votes," said political scientist Dusan Janjic. Journalist Dragoljub Zarkovic said he is convinced that the coalition government between the Progressive Party and the Socialists will continue - unless Vucic wins an absolute majority. "In that case, he would no longer need anyone else," Zarkovic said. "The Serbian citizens included."

 

‘Serbia has clearly expressed its strategic preferences’ (New Europe, 25 April 2016)

Interview with Jadranka Joksimovic, Serbia’s minister responsible for EU integration

As the clock ticks closer to the end-of-2018 deadline for Serbia to harmonise national legislation with European Union standards, the country’s minister responsible for integration, Jadranka Joksimovic, considers the EU-Serbia accession negotiations as an incentive to meet the internal reform goals. Joksimovic notes progress in terms of human rights, media freedom and judicial reforms. On the topic of migration, Joksimovic notes a systemic and institutional solution within the framework of the EU laws and standards that is accompanied by the strategic partnership with Turkey.

Is Serbia ready to join the EU?

Serbia has clearly expressed its strategic preferences. The membership in the European Union is one of the primary foreign policy goals, but also the goal of a significant number of sectors in Serbia. For us in the Government, it is important for the industrial branches and sectors to see the membership in the EU as an instrument used to meet the sectorial goals. That is the only way for the membership in the EU to represent an added value to each of these sectors. The energy sector would develop more if we are integrated and if we invest in joint projects. Agriculture, as a strategic branch for Serbia, has yet to gain momentum by joining the EU. Transport would become meaningful and would develop only if we plan to connect all major routes at the European level and as part of a unique European transport network. Even the challenges we are faced with, like migrations, are easier to solve if we act together. Serbia would continue to build its corridors, solve numerous challenges, but also develop its agriculture; the only question is whether it is better for such corridors, agricultural products and Serbian solutions to the challenges to have a prefix “European”. I am convinced that it is in everybody’s best interest.

The initial agenda had positioned accession talks wrap up until the end of 2018. Is it only Serbia’s fault?

Serbia is not in the position to set goals for the European Union or to pass political decisions on membership on behalf of the EU. However, we may and have to set tasks for ourselves. Our task is to conduct all the necessary reforms to harmonize domestic legislation with the European legislation by the end of 2018. This is important for a number of reasons. First of all, it sends a signal to the commercial sector and the investors about the direction and deadlines for the development of the legal and economic framework in Serbia. On the other hand, it is a message to the State administration to plan the activities well when it comes to harmonizing our legislation with the European, so that these activities would be finalized within the set deadline. Finally, if we fail to set deadlines for ourselves and to plan the activities to be completed within such deadlines, it becomes difficult to make long-term plans for the development of the country. What I would like to see is for the accession negotiations to be observed as an incentive to meet the internal reform goals we have set for ourselves, where the membership is a logical consequence of such met goals.

Nils Mužnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights has pointed that “Serbia has to show more resolve in addressing the legacy of the past, to improve the fight against discrimination and to establish a safer media environment”, on his previous report based on his visit just a year ago in Serbia. Has the government acted in any way, in order to address the persistent impunity for certain serious human rights violations?

One of the most significant results of the Government, in my opinion, is the uncompromising dedication and the fight against all forms of discrimination. This result is based on the improvement of the image and information available to the citizens about the problems faced by the persons being discriminated and on constant work on their visibility and the visibility of the problems they are faced with. Today, there are virtually no minority groups in Serbia whose progress in exercising their rights is not related to the political responsibility of a member of the Government. The second rule is that such members of the Government come from sensitive categories of society. Therefore, we talk about women. The rights of women, the rights of national minorities, the Roma inclusion, but also the rights of the LGBT population are dealt by female members of the Government, and as usually happens with women, they achieve very good results.

In terms of National Parliament legislation process, the European Commission’s accession report underlines the need to curtail the use of urgent legislation procedures, paired with important constitutional reforms, in order to achieve alignment with EU policy. Has the Serbian government and Parliament worked towards that direction?

It is important to emphasize that the urgent procedure does not exclude a discussion in the Parliament and the consideration of the bills at the sessions of the competent Parliament boards. Furthermore, the majority of bills that reach the Assembly go through the public hearing procedure before they are adopted by the Government. In addition, the regulations aimed to harmonize our legislation with the EU acquis are additionally scrutinized from the point of view of compatibility with the EU legislations. Our action plans for opening of the negotiation chapters go through a separate procedure that implies mandatory consultations with the civil society and independent bodies. When it comes to the laws aimed at harmonizing with the EU acquis and action plans, the possibility of using the urgent procedure is minimal, because we have established a mechanism of wide consultations and additional quality checks of the bills. Our goal is to include all the interested parties in a bill drafting procedure. The constitutional reforms are our obligation within the negotiations with the EU and primarily pertain to the judicial reform. Under the Chapter 23 Action plan in the accession negotiations with the EU, we are under the obligation to conduct the constitutional reform in this area by the end of 2017.

Previously, you made a reference, regarding the freedom of the media in Serbia saying that it will not be a problem on the country’s EU integration course. EU Council and European Parliament have raised awareness towards the need to secure media freedom, as Turkey – EU accession talks warm up. As for Serbia, have the media laws that are now adopted able to answer to criticism?

The set of new media laws, completely harmonized with relevant EU legislation framework, is adopted in August 2014. The Law on Public Information and Media stipulates that the public information is free and it is not subject to censorship and governs the manner in which the freedom of public information is to be exercised. The Law on Electronic Media regulates organization and operation of the Regulatory body for the electronic media that further provides the establishment of an effective mechanism for quality control of media content and protection of media pluralism. The Law on Public Service Broadcasting guarantees institutional, programmatic and financial independence of the two public services and establish the public interest that the public service is realizing through its core activity. The implementation of the new media laws provides withdrawal of the state from the media ownership, transparency of the media ownership through the Media Register established in August 2015, transfer to the program co-financing of the project in the field of public information and protection of media pluralism. Within the IPA project of the Ministry of Culture and Media (MoCaM) Strengthening Media Freedom (SMF), supported by the European Union in Serbia, a series of training on the implementation of the new media laws and promotion of the best practices and European standards were provided to all stakeholders (media, associations of journalists, judges in the field of media law, members of national minorities…).

On the battle against corruption, Serbia seems not to have done significant progress. How is the Government moving in terms of swiftly adopting proposed legislation changes?

In my opinion, in the system of distribution of powers and responsibilities within the Government, every person should know what their job is. Everyone may be judged based on the results achieved in the area assigned to them. The executive branch of the government in Serbia has started a systematic battle against corruption based on the improvement of the systemic legislation and initiation of the lawsuits against largest cases of systemic and political corruption. In addition to the modification of the existing laws, new laws were also adopted, such as the Whistle-blower Protection Act. For this not to be only a dead letter, the major lawsuit have been instigated against the most influential persons and organizations in our society, for whom we believed that there is reasonable suspicion that they have participated in the creation of the environment for systemic corruption. No one can say that there are no results. These were the results of the executive branch of the government. At the same time, the judiciary has processed several major cases. Some of them are still ongoing, whereas decisions have been made in a number of such cases. One of the latest decisions is the first-instance ruling pertaining to the persons involved in systemic corruption in the road construction industry.

About the Judicial System reforms, have the new rules for evaluating judges and prosecutors been implemented? If yes, are the results promising? What are the next steps?

I notice progress in this area as well. Complete results may be expected after the amendment of the Constitution. At this moment, Chapter 23 Action plan shall play an important role for the progress in the entire area; the significance of opening of a new chapter is even greater, and we hope that it would happen soon. In the meanwhile, the evaluation of judges and prosecutors is increasingly becoming a standard practice. The judges are being evaluated by an independent committee appointed by the High Judicial Council. What is important for the citizens to know is that in the future, the work of the judges shall also be evaluated based on the criteria of reasonable time for closing of cases. This should improve the efficiency of the courts. Other procedures, such as disciplinary procedures or adoption of the Ethical code, as well as the measures to achieve transparency, should improve the performance quality of courts. All these measures have been implemented over the past several months.

Europe is facing the biggest migration crisis in its history. What is Serbia’s view in March’s EU – Turkey agreement, as a pillar to tackle smugglers and cope with migration flows?

The unity within the EU and having a significant number of strategic partners outside the European Union, offer the best guarantees for safety in Europe. From the very beginning of the crisis, Serbia has offered constructive solutions, after recognizing its role as a part of the unique European solution. The satisfaction would be greater had a systemic and institutional solution within the framework of the EU laws and standards been reached to accompany the strategic partnership with Turkey. The history of the European integrations have taught us that “more Europe” does not mean less Greek, French, German or Serbian. On the contrary, it strengthens our belief that we are stronger as individuals if we act together. That is the primary motivation of the Republic of Serbia on its journey to become a member of the EU.

Brussels are suffering one of the biggest terrorist attacks in Europe, after Paris. How should Europe deal with terror? Is “more Europe” a solution to Europe’s problems and what does this mean?

The answer is similar to the one given to the previous question. In the fight against terrorism, more Europe would lead to several significant results. The question is whether the terrorists charged with the attacks in London or Paris in November last year would have been apprehended and processed had there not been for a single European achievement – the European arrest warrant. Hard times would always reveal true friends and true unity. Solidarity is not only a standard prescribed by the Lisbon treaty. It is and has to be much more than that. Throughout Europe, we are frequently the witnesses of fiery political speeches that emphasize the European family of peoples. My question is, should the family be reminded of solidarity or should we help each member of our family, automatically and without questions. That is the only solution. All of us in Europe, without difference, have to feel that we are members of the European family of peoples.