Serbia: Judges demand fairer debate rules for judicial academy hearings

The Association of Judges of Serbia has requested a change in the organization of public hearings regarding the proposed Law on the Judicial Academy. Following hearings in Kragujevac, Niš, and Novi Sad, the Association noted an uneven distribution of speaking time. Analysis of recordings indicated that the Minister of Justice, the Committee Chairman, and MP Miroslav Petrašinović utilized approximately 60 percent of the total time, leaving roughly 40 percent for all other participants combined. The Association has proposed that for the upcoming hearing in Belgrade on August 21, each speaker be granted 15 minutes for presentation and five minutes for rebuttal to ensure more equitable participation.

Separately, the seventh public hearing regarding amendments to the Law on the Prevention of Corruption was held in Novi Sad. The proposed changes aim to expand the definition of public officials to include various roles such as deputy directors of the Anti-Corruption Agency, cabinet chiefs, and advisors to the President and ministers. The amendments also cover directors and board members of public enterprises where the state or local government holds management rights. According to MP Miroslav Petrašinović, the draft incorporates GRECO recommendations to introduce stricter rules on the incompatibility of public functions and regulate the relationship between public duties and political activity on social media.