Impact of the concluding observations of the United Nations Committee on the rights of the child on the european integration process of the Republic of Serbia

Todić Anđelija (Pravni fakultet Univerziteta u Beogradu), andjelijatodic@gmail.com

The acquisition of full membership in the European Union is a strategic commitment of the Republic of Serbia. Chapter 23: “Judiciary and fundamental rights” is crucial on our country’s European path. One of the fifty transitional benchmarks in Chapter 23, set by the European Commission, is dedicated to the rights of the child. Among the indicators of the fulfillment of this benchmark, the concluding observations of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child stand out in particular. The author groups the recommendations from the concluding observations that the Committee addressed to the Republic of Serbia in 2017 into four parts, namely: developing the legislative, strategic and institutional framework, respecting general principles, enjoying the highest attainable standard of health and education, and protecting particularly vulnerable categories of children. From the presentation of the current factual situation, she determines the extent to which Serbia has acted on the recommendations of the Committee. The author identifies critical gaps in the national system of child rights and formulates recommendations for future steps, in order to highlight the importance of acting on the concluding observations of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child for the process of accession of the Republic of Serbia to the European Union.

Keywords: Child rights, European integration, Republic of Serbia, United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, concluding observations, recommendations