Response to the Ministry of Internal Affairs regarding the call for consultations on the Draft Law on Internal Affairs
On August 11th, the Ministry of Internal Affairs invited the National Convention on the European Union to a three-day meeting scheduled for 19-21 of August on the new version of the Draft Law on Internal Affairs. Hereby, we inform you about our response, dated August 14th, 2025:
Dear Sir/Madam,
We thank you for the invitation to continue consultations on the Draft Law on Internal Affairs. Aware of the importance of this regulation and of the dialogue we conducted in 2023 as an example of good practice, we regret to inform you that we are unable to attend.
We would like to point out that seven days is not sufficient to analyse a document of 287 articles and to adequately prepare for a meeting that should represent a substantive exchange of arguments, rather than a pro forma encounter. We remind you that the Ministry of Internal Affairs has been delayed for more than six months in preparing the Draft Law on Internal Affairs, given that the deadline set for the working group established for this task was the end of January 2025. We also note that since the last meeting in April 2023, the Working Group for Chapter 24 of the National Convention on the European Union has not been informed of any subsequent steps taken towards finalising the act that was the subject of the dialogue. We therefore consider it unjustified to be given an inappropriately short deadline to analyse the document, especially in the midst of the holiday season when our already limited resources are further reduced.
Moreover, the conduct of the police, as well as statements by officials and police representatives during the tense political and societal situation in the period between receiving your invitation and our present reply, indicate to us that there is no willingness to address the key problems in police work that the National Convention and the European Commission have been pointing out for years. We also remind you that strengthening the prevention of torture and ensuring the operational independence of the police are the two main objectives defined by Serbia’s Reform Agenda for the adoption of a new law in the area of internal affairs, scheduled for June 2025. In recent months, and particularly in recent days, we have witnessed worrying practices that call both of these objectives into question and further undermine citizens’ trust in the police. Until these practices change and consistent implementation of existing laws is ensured, it is pointless to conduct a dialogue on a new law.
We kindly request that the meeting in question be postponed until September, provided that by then your side demonstrates readiness to raise standards and practice in the area of the prohibition of torture, guarantees of accountability and the operational independence of the police to the highest level. The members of the NCEU Working Group for Chapter 24 stand ready to contribute to the drafting of the Draft Law on Internal Affairs on an equal footing with other interested stakeholders within the framework of a public consultation.
Working Group for Chapter 24 of the National Convention on the European Union
