The European Commissioner for Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, and the European Parliament’s rapporteur on Serbia, Vladimir Bilčík, welcomed the result of the constitutional referendum held on Sunday 16 January (see EUROPE 12869/22).
The Serbs approved, by a majority of 60.5% of the votes cast, a constitutional amendment to improve the work and independence of the judiciary.
Mr Várhelyi welcomed “this important step and the country’s commitment to the EU path”. For Mr Bilčík, the content and outcome of the referendum are about “important Rule of law reforms”.
The Commissioner announced that the EU would continue to work with the Serbian authorities on an ambitious reform programme.
In a statement on 17 January, the spokesperson of the European External Action Service recalled that the reform process aimed at strengthening the independence of the judiciary did not end with the referendum and should continue. “A number of laws need to be amended for the effective implementation of the constitutional amendments. These should be prepared as a matter of priority”, the spokesperson said.
Welcoming the Serbian government’s intention to continue to involve the Venice Commission in the next steps, the spokesperson said that the EU would continue to follow this process closely and provide financial and technical support for the implementation of justice reforms. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)