Zdravko Ponoš, leader of the Serbia Centre (SRCE) party, stated on Thursday evening that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has caused enormous damage to Serbia’s national interests by signing decrees enacting a package of controversial judicial laws adopted by the parliamentary majority at the proposal of SNS MP Uglješa Mrdić.
Ponoš sharply criticized the legislation, questioning its broader consequences for the state and its European future.
“According to these laws, am I spreading panic if I say that the state has been kidnapped by criminals and drug clans? What do these laws say if I claim that Vučić consciously and cold-headedly made a decision to threaten a complete halt of Serbia’s European integration path?” Ponoš said.
He further suggested that the move may represent a deliberate strategy to provoke attention from European institutions, especially at a time when Serbia’s relations with Washington and Moscow are strained.
Earlier today, President Vučić said he had carefully reviewed the constitutionality of the adopted judicial laws and claimed he received assurances from legal experts and close associates that the legislation was fully in line with the Serbian Constitution.
The legislative package includes amendments to the Law on the Seats and Jurisdictions of Courts and Public Prosecutors, the Law on the High Prosecutorial Council, the Law on the Organization and Jurisdiction of State Bodies for Combating High-Tech Crime, as well as the Law on Public Prosecution and the Law on Judges.
The laws were widely criticized by Serbia’s legal community even before entering parliamentary procedure and were rejected by opposition lawmakers. Following their adoption, EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos called on the Serbian parliament to urgently review the legislation, warning that it restricts judicial independence in Serbia.
