Project title: Chapter 23 – what is there for citizens?
Duration: September 2016 to December 2016
Donor: German Embassy in Belgrade
About the project: One of the main aims of this project is to determine and evaluate the progress Serbia has made in the field of fundamental human rights by implementing the Action Plan for Chapter 23. As stated in this document, Serbia will continue to improve it’s legal and normative framework for the protection and promotion of fundamental rights, in line with the EU Acquis, European and international standards and best practices. The main issues underlined as challenges in Serbian legislature, and thusly the main themes of the Conference are: prohibition of torture, degrading and ill-treatment and punishment; freedom of thought, conscience and religion; freedom of expression, including freedom and pluralism of the media; the principle of anti-discrimination and position of socially vulnerable groups; gender equality; rights of the child; procedural safeguards; position of refugees and internally displaced persons; measures against racism and xenophobia; and personal data protection.
One of the objectives of the conference on Judiciary, which will gather legal experts from across Serbia and from all sectors of society, is to generate a discussion that will focus on the importance of judiciary independence for the rule of law principle, regular judiciary reporting, the challenges faced by the Government in implementing reforms, as well as a deeper exchange of experiences, knowledge and good practice. From this, the main is to create a set of recommendations and proposals that will help the Serbian Government in its further efforts towards establishing an efficient and independent judiciary.