Ivančić: The MFA is transparent in creating the Draft Law on the participation of civilians in peacekeeping missions outside Serbia

Mr. Borko Stefanović obviously did not even read the Draft Law on the participation of civilians in peacekeeping missions outside the borders of the Republic of Serbia, and his criticism and comments only show how he thinks and how he would work. Fortunately for Serbia and its citizens, he will never be able to do that again. Just as what he says will never be in the Law. And he had the opportunity to present his "well-intentioned" comments, the same as all other participants in the public debate. Proof that the MFA does not hide anything and that everything is transparent can be seen from what was published on the MFA website.

Regarding certain public comments on the Draft Law, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs draws attention to the fact that this is a law that allows, in addition to members of the Serbian Armed Forces and the Ministry of Interior, civil society representatives to participate in civilian missions and operations of the United Nations Organisation (UNO), The European Union (EU) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

The need to establish a legal framework for the participation of the Republic of Serbia in EU civilian missions is also stated in the Negotiating Chapter 31 (Foreign Security and Defence Policy).

We emphasize that other departments, representatives of civil society, as well as organizations and experts from other countries are involved in the multi-year process of work on creating institutional capacities for sending civilians to international missions and operations. Given that peacekeeping missions are established in high-risk and post-conflict areas, training is required to participate in such an environment, as well as a high level of knowledge and skills.

Among other things, the Draft Law regulates the secondment to professional positions in missions that require state support, as well as the criteria for the selection of candidates. We emphasize that the conditions and criteria for missions are determined by each individual field mission (e.g., UNO, EU or OSCE mission). Therefore, the professional qualification of candidates is a basic precondition for secondment. The Draft envisages that candidates apply for a public competition, and that the selection for training is done by the Commission of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the final decision on the selection of candidates is made by the international organization for which the person is applying. Therefore, candidates who do not possess the required level of expertise have no chance of being accepted, either by the Commission or by an individual international organization. We note that the costs of participation in most cases are borne by international organizations that announce the competition, while the Republic of Serbia only recommends candidates.

After the adoption of the Law and the accompanying bylaws, the Ministry will begin work on the development of a database of experts who meet the professional requirements and have undergone appropriate trainings. In this context, we emphasize that there are no secret lists of candidates.

As stated in the explanation of the Draft Law, during the creation of the Draft Law, and based on the analysis of comparative normative practices of other countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs opted for an inclusive approach that will enable participation in peacekeeping missions to a wide range of people, including civil society representatives, academic experts, retired persons with specific knowledge, as well as representatives of the public sector.

The Draft Law stipulates that the decision to send a specific person to an individual mission is made on the basis of an assessment of security risks, national interests and foreign policy priorities of the Republic of Serbia. It is in the highest interest of the Republic of Serbia that the security of citizens who are sent on missions is not endangered.

We emphasize that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs took into account many suggestions and proposals made during the public debate, including suggestions of civil society representatives and individual experts, which was included in the Report on the public debate, which can be found on the Ministry's website. These proposals have significantly contributed to improving the quality of normative solutions of the Draft Law.