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2026-07-26 06:18 UTC → 2026-07-31 14:36 UTC ·
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Serbia REM council leadership, judicial reforms leadership deadlock continues
Following the European Parliament’s early‑July report that still labels Serbia a “brake” in EU enlargement, domestic reforms continued. The National Assembly’s July 6 session addressed stalemate over the REM deadlock, and on 10 July parliament adopted an interpretation allowing four independent council members to return, leaving one minority seat vacant. The leadership of Serbia’s Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM) held its has persisted beyond the July 29 meeting that was expected to resolve the vacancy. Two constitutive session sessions held on 20 July, electing a president July and deputy among eight voting members, but the leadership issue resurfaced when later in late July each ended with a tied vote at the subsequent meeting left vote, leaving the council presidency vacant. Council chairwoman unfilled. The council, chaired by Dubravka Valić Nedeljković said a new session will be convened before 1 August, with a decision expected at Nedeljković, scheduled an extraordinary meeting for the July 29 meeting, second half of August (between 20 August and 1 September) to enable the council continue consultations and aim for a decisive appointment. Members discussed transparency measures such as publishing detailed minutes and conducting site visits to resume its regulatory duties, including appointments media outlets to RTS and RTV boards assess licensing needs. ANEM head Veran Matić warned that the delay may benefit the government ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections. At the same time, Meanwhile, the government advanced its government’s judicial reform agenda. Minister of Justice Nenad Vujić presented agenda moves forward, with the draft Law on the Judicial Academy, now Academy advancing in parliamentary procedure, which received parliament after a positive opinion from the Venice Commission. Commission opinion. The law defines the Academy’s supervisory link to the High Council of the Judiciary and the High Council of Prosecutors, creates an eleven‑member Administrative Board and a seventeen‑member Program Council, and introduces mandatory pre‑service training for judges and prosecutors. Spokesperson Olivera Zekić warned that unresolved REM faces possible bankruptcy and called for harmonising its statute with new media laws. Observers note that the coming decisions on council leadership and the implementation of the Judicial Academy law will remains a test the regulator’s of regulator independence and Serbia’s alignment with EU standards.