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News > Analysis of victims’ rights and services in Serbia and their alignement with EU Directive 2012/29/EU - DRAFT

Analysis of victims’ rights and services in Serbia and their alignement with EU Directive 2012/29/EU - DRAFT

On 15 November 2012, EU Directive 2012/29/EU  (the EU Directive) was adopted by the European Union building on existing EU acquis to develop minimum standards for victims of crime.


As part of its Accession process, Serbia is developing its victims’ rights system in order to comply with the EU Directive and other relevant EU legislation to complete Chapter 23. This report aims to support that process by assessing Serbia’s alignment with the EU Directive and proposing recommendations for change based on existing best practice and analysis of five Member States’ systems (Croatia, England, Finland, France, and the Netherlands).


A basic review of Serbia’s criminal code was carried out followed by an assessment of how rights are applied in practice. Research was carried out through desk research as well as interviews and surveys of stakeholders.


Five aspects of the EU Directive were assessed (Support, Information, Interpretation and translation, Protection and Training) based on their potential impact for victims and the likelihood that changes within the Serbian system would be required for these rights. The analysis identified a range of problems and gaps in service which require rectification. Final draft of the report can be accessed here.