EU Demands Serbia and Montenegro Make Progress on Reforms

The European Union has issued a stern warning to both Serbia and Montenegro, urging them to make significant progress on implementing democratic reforms and fighting corruption.

Areas for Improvement in Serbia

Adoption of a new constitution that complies with Council of Europe standards
Effective implementation of laws on local self-government and elections
Improved cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
Reforms to secure the impartiality of the judiciary, police, and security forces
Combatting corruption and organized crime

The report also highlighted concerns over human rights in Serbia, including:

Greater protection of national minorities’ rights
An end to ethnically-motivated incidents

Areas for Improvement in Montenegro

Drafting and adoption of a new constitution that complies with Council of Europe standards
Improved cooperation with the ICTY
Reforms to secure the impartiality of the judiciary, police, and security forces
Implementation of reforms to protect national minorities’ rights
Adoption of a law on national minority protection

EU’s Ultimatum

The European Union has given both countries until April 2005 to complete a compatibility study between their domestic legislation and the Revised European Social Charter.

Response from Government Officials

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Košunović said: “We understand the importance of these reforms for our future in Europe. We will do everything in our power to make progress.”

Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Đukanović expressed his country’s commitment to implementing reforms, saying that Montenegro is working closely with the EU and other international organizations to achieve its goals.

Accessing the Report

The report is available on the websites of the Council of Europe (coe.int) and the European Union (europa.eu).