MUP calls on civil society to contribute to EU accession

BELGRADE – The Serbian Interior Ministry (MUP) has begun drawing up an action plan for the implementation of recommendations from a screening report for Chapter 24 (Justice, freedom and security), and it stands ready to include civil society organizations that continually monitor the country’s European integration and reform processes in that job, MUP said in a release Wednesday.

The action plan is being made based on the recommendations given by the European Commission (EC) in its July 25 report on the analytical examination of Serbian legislations' compliance with the EU acquis that followed the explanatory and bilateral screenings in Chapter 24, the release said.

Bearing in mind that civil society organizations have continuously monitored and participated in Serbia’s European integration and reform processes for years and that their contribution could be of great benefit to the process of alignment with the EU acquis, and also to Serbian society as a whole, MUP is planning to engage them in the next step of the negotiating process – preparation of the action plan.

The first meeting with civil society organizations, primarily with those operating within the framework of the National Convention on the EU in Serbia (RG 13 NKEU) working group for the area of freedom, security and justice, and with other interested organizations, is planned for the beginning of September.

The meeting will be prepared in cooperation with the Serbian government’s Office for Cooperation with Civil Society, the release said.

During the explanatory screening, held on October 2-4, 2013, the European Commission explained to the Serbian delegation the acquis in Chapter 24, while the bilateral screening, held on December 11-13...