The Serbian opposition has hailed the newly released opinion of the Venice Commission as a total defeat for President Aleksandar Vučić’s regime. In an urgent report issued today, the Council of Europe’s top legal advisory body provided nine scathing recommendations that essentially dismantle the controversial “Mrdić Laws”—the judicial amendments that sparked a massive diplomatic rift and a freeze on EU funds earlier this year.
Leading opposition figures are now demanding the immediate repeal of the laws, characterizing the international legal opinion as a “humiliation” for the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).
Marinika Tepić: “The Regime’s Tools for Purges are Canceled”
Marinika Tepić, Vice President of the Freedom and Justice Party (SSP), issued a blistering statement, claiming that the Venice Commission has exposed the regime’s attempt to “capture” the judiciary.
“Aleksandar Vučić received exactly what he deserved today—a slap in the face from the Venice Commission,” Tepić stated. “His five laws for taking over the judiciary, hidden behind the name of MP Mrdić, have been demolished to their foundations. This means only one thing: they must return everything to how it was.”
Tepić highlighted the key reversals required by the commission:
- Restoring Ousted Prosecutors: The regime must reinstate prosecutors who were removed from the Office for Organized Crime (TOK).
- Restoring Jurisdiction: The Supreme Prosecution must regain its authority over international agreements.
- Ending Term Limits: The restrictive mandates imposed on court presidents must be revoked.
- Mandatory Public Debate: The commission slammed the “bypass” tactic used to avoid transparency.
Tepić warned that this opinion also delegitimizes the new “Petrašinović Laws” regarding elections, which the regime is currently trying to push through without genuine public consultation.
NPS: A Confirmation of Illegality
Miloš Pavlović, Vice President of the People’s Movement of Serbia (NPS), echoed these sentiments, calling the opinion a “confirmation of the illegality” of the SNS legislative blitz.
“The recommendations prove that the core changes—the very reason these laws were passed—are fundamentally wrong,” Pavlović noted. He pointed specifically to the Commission’s demand to restore a non-hierarchical system for handling objections, which prevents top-level political appointees from dictating the work of independent prosecutors.
The Opposition’s Demands:
- Urgent Assembly Session: NPS has called on Speaker Ana Brnabić to immediately schedule a session to debate the Commission’s findings.
- Harmonization: A total rewrite of the judicial laws to align with European standards.
- End to “Fingered” Hearings: An end to mock public hearings that exclude expert and civil society input.
The “Mrdić Laws” Crisis: Key Recommendations
The Venice Commission’s nine points focus on reversing the “centralization of power” within the Serbian judiciary.
| Regime Action | Venice Commission Ruling | Opposition Interpretation |
| Use of private MP to propose laws. | Violation of procedural transparency. | A tactic to avoid expert scrutiny. |
| Shifting prosecutors via “substitution.” | Must be reversed to protect independence. | A tool for political “cleansing” of the TOK. |
| Avoiding public debate. | Unacceptable for fundamental laws. | “Smuggling” laws through Parliament. |
| Restructuring High Prosecution. | Needs decentralization of authority. | Formalizing state capture of the judiciary. |
While Speaker Ana Brnabić has attempted to spin the draft opinion as a “working document,” the opposition is clear: the EU’s decision on whether to release the €1.5 billion in Growth Plan funds depends entirely on Belgrade’s total compliance with these nine points.
“They will try to sell defeat as victory,” Tepić concluded, “but the truth is unambiguous: the alias-Mrdić laws have fallen, and Europe has told them they must be annulled.”
