Ministry of Justice representative Jovan Cosic provided the rationale for the Bill on the Confirmation of Protocol No.15 amending the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, saying that the Protocol had been signed by the Council of Europe member states in 2013, and the Republic of Serbia had ratified in December 2013. He stressed that passing the Bill finalises the process of its confirmation, adding that the Protocol amends four articles of the Convention in the part related to the crucial role of the European Court of Human Rights.
Speaking of the Bill on the Protection of the Right to Trial within a Reasonable Time, Assistant Minister Cedomir Backovic said that it enables the parties involved in a trial to object to the court president if dissatisfied by the speed of the proceedings, and it is then the court president’s duty to rule on the objection within two months from the moment it is lodged.
The chief objectives of the Bill are to institute effective means to protect the constitutional right to trial within a reasonable time period, give the courts flexibility to rule on the legal means employed to protect the right to trial within a reasonable time, prevent overburdening of courts and ensure uniformity of compensation practice.
Following a debate, the Committee members adopted the Bill on the Confirmation of Protocol No.15 amending the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the Bill on the Protection of the Right to Trial within a Reasonable Time, in principle.

The sitting was chaired by Committee Chairman Meho Omerovic.