Brasseur praises authorities, political actors for reforms

BELGRADE - The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Anne Brasseur on Tuesday praised the Serbian authorities and political actors for initiating the reform process in a resolute manner.

In an address to Serbian MPs, Brasseur noted that great progress has been made in strengthening democratic institutions, in the judicial reform, the fight against corruption and the reform of the electoral system, as well as in strengthening local self-government and exercise of minority rights.

Serbia must not stop half way through implementing the reforms and all political factors must become involved in strengthening democracy and ensuring rule of law and protection of human rights, she said.

Brasseur also welcomed the positive developments in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue.

I am confident that even greater progress will be made in the future, because we need that, Brasseur said during a special session of the Serbian parliament.

In an address to Serbian MPs, Brasseur said that Serbia is a young member of the Council of Europe, as it joined the organisation 12 years ago, and that many changes have taken place during that period.

Today, Serbia is a stable, democratic, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural country, Brasseur said at a special parliamentary session.

As the current OSCE chair, Serbia is an important player on the European scene, it is an EU candidate country and an important factor in the region, said Brasseur, adding that Serbia shares the values of the European community and the highest standards in human rights, rule of law and democracy.