SERBIEN: Facility supporting the strengthening of the Rule of Law in the Republic of Serbia - Victims protection
The Austrian Federal Ministry of Justice, in cooperation with the Center of Legal Competence (CLC), the latter serving for 10 years as the Ministry’s Management Center for Victim Support and central clearing house for court assistance to victims, offered support to Serbian authorities in the further implementation of the 2020 National Strategy for the Rights of Victims and Witnesses of Crime and its accompanying Implementation Action Plan.The Action was aligned with ongoing IPA 2016 support for Victims and Witnesses of Crime implemented by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). The Action ensured continued support to the victims and witness system beyond the scheduled end of the IPA project in November 2023. Support was thus provided in 2022 and 2023 to bridge gaps in the IPA 2016 assistance, and in 2024 and the first half of 2025 to contribute to the implementation of the 2023–2025 Strategic Implementation Action Plan. This approach enabled the ADA and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Justice, in cooperation with the CLC, to take full account of the specific needs of the Serbian authorities, taking into consideration the results achieved and the follow-up measures proposed by the OSCE project.