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The views and experiences of the judges are important for the performance of their duties, as well as for the improvement of their social and professional position. Therefore, the topic of this paper is the suggestions for improving the independence of the judiciary, which come from the representatives of the judicial profession. The paper is based on the results of extensive empirical research of the judges from all courts of general jurisdiction in Serbia. For the interpretation of the respondents’ answers (N=599), thematic analysis was used, allowing us to further categorize the received statements by the perspectives of the respondents. The conclusion is that judges see the greatest space for improvement in the area of institutional guarantees of independence, while they are significantly less oriented towards guarantees of personal independence. Apart from the theoretical contribution, the paper primarily has a practical goal in advocating social change, i.e. a normative framework based on the guidelines that come from those to whom the regulations refer.

Scientific research related to the avoidance of calculation and payment of profit tax in public enterprises is very rare, due to the belief that public enterprises do not avoid paying profit tax because their owner is the state, city, or local government unit. The research conducted in this paper has shown that the largest public enterprises in Serbia, which have a high profitability rate, as well as capital-intensive enterprises, have a higher effective tax rate and do not use tax planning techniques to avoid taxes. These findings can be considered scientifically adequate. All other determinants used in this paper did not show a statistically significant impact on the effective tax rate. When deciding and implementing the profit tax rate policy, as well as tax exemptions, the state must take into account the specificities of the operations of public enterprises and assess the effects of these policies on this sector of the economy.

Organized crime and related economic crime are the focus of interest for all modern, well-organized states. Theoreticians generally agree that organized crime has closely followed the development of modern states, while economic crime has evolved with the development of the economy and business, both at national and supranational levels, alongside the expansion of information and communication technologies. Despite being viewed as two distinct types of crime, economic and organized crime are highly interdependent and interconnected. While a small number of economic crime offenses lack the characteristics of organized crime, a significant number of criminal activities exhibit organized elements within the realm of the economy and economic activities. Thus, the relationship between these two types of crime is directly proportional, wherein the development of organized crime follows the development of economic crime, and vice versa. In addition to the introduction and conclusion, the paper consists of three interconnected and interrelated parts. The first part elucidates the philosophy of organized crime. It highlights the problems of defining, the lack of a unique definition, and its multidisciplinary nature. Additionally, it presents the most significant characteristics and manifestations of organized crime in theory and practice. The second part deals with the issues of economic crime. Similarly to the first part, it discusses the process of determining and defining the concept of economic crime, presenting its basic characteristics and contemporary types. Finally, the third part of the paper examines the relationship between these two categories of crime.

Restrictive agreements are agreements among market participants that significantly restrict, distort or prevent competition. This paper aims to elucidate the concept of restrictive agreements as a form of competition infringement within the scientific, professional and businesslegal communities. The paper systematizes the definitions of this concept and examines the relevant laws and regulations governing it. Additionally, the paper will analyze and evaluate the efficacy of the Commission for the Protection of Competition, highlighting both its strengths and weaknesses in making decisions on the prevention of monopolies. Through an analysis of the commission’s decisions concerning companies operating within the territory of the Republic of Serbia, this paper identifies challenges and proposes solutions to enhance the Commission’s effectiveness.

The paper explores the intricate landscape of implementing food safety policies within the European Union (EU) context. Through an examination of key themes, including discretion and enforcement of policies, the EU’s problem-resolution strategies, and the concept of individualization that surpasses mere adherence to laws, the paper sheds light on the complexities and nuances inherent in ensuring food safety across the diverse member states. The paper scrutinizes the role of discretion in the enforcement of food safety policies within the EU. It delves into how regulatory bodies exercise judgment in interpreting and applying policies, taking into account the varying contexts and challenges faced by member states. The discussion highlights the need for a balanced approach that considers both uniformity in enforcement and flexibility to address specific regional or sectoral requirements. Further, the paper focuses on the EU’s problem-resolution strategies concerning food safety policies. It explores the mechanisms in place for identifying and addressing challenges that arise during the implementation phase. This includes an analysis of coordination among member states, collaboration with stakeholders, and the role of regulatory bodies in mitigating issues and fostering a harmonized approach to problem-solving. In the end, the paper introduces the concept of individualization, emphasizing how a diverse range of policies and practices exists beyond mere adherence to overarching laws. This section explores the unique approaches taken by member states in tailoring food safety policies to suit their specific circumstances. It investigates the benefits and potential challenges associated with such individualization, considering its impact on overall policy effectiveness and coherence.

In contemporary societies characterized by advanced information technology and widespread accessibility to various resources, social and psychological factors leading to adverse personal and societal consequences significantly influence minors, providing fertile ground for the emergence of juvenile delinquency. Juvenile delinquency is a serious problem for all contemporary societies, encompassing different forms of deviant behaviors among minors, including criminal acts that trigger legal proceedings and sanctions. Since there are a lot of theories and studies which focus on the distinctions between delinquency and criminality, this paper does not deal with that in greater detail. Instead, it focuses on elucidating juvenile delinquency as a foundational concept for understanding diverse forms of deviant behavior from criminal, psychological, and sociological perspectives. The paper identifies causes of juvenile behavior and early indicators for identifying young offenders. The primary research objective is to explore delinquency prevention strategies tailored to offenders. The examples illustrate the most frequent criminal acts perpetrated by reported, accused, and convicted minors, categorized by gender, age, and type of criminal sanction.

The subject of this study is an analysis of different normative solutions and degrees of institutionalization of the role of the opposition in parliaments across a number of European states, ranging from stipulation in the parliamentary rules of procedure to formal recognition of the opposition in the constitution of the state. Balance of the parliamentary political power as well as acknowledgement of the legitimate role of opposition ensures prerequisites for democratic social dialogue and active participation of responsible citizens in the processes of strengthening institutions of representative democracy. Therefore, only consensual political culture contributes to the political trust that citizens place in political institutions. Although there is no universally adopted model that defines the role of the parliamentary majority and opposition, it is undeniable that the post-democracy era requires a redefinition of basic concepts, such as parliamentary majority and opposition, as well as the role of parliament. The scope of the analysis is limited to a comparative overview of constitutional solutions that guarantee the rights of the opposition and the legal framework regulating the part of the rights of parliamentary opposition, which are realized in the process of creating policies. The aim of the paper is to strengthen mechanisms of parliamentary democracy and, in particular, to strengthen trust in the work of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, as only through the effective implementation of European experiences can public trust be built and standards of political culture be improved. Methodologically, the comparative approach is complemented by the analysis of comments and interpretations of constitutional acts, laws, rules of procedure, as well as recommendations of the Venice Commission.

Hermeneutics, or interpretation, can be defined as a procedure to clarify something that is incomprehensible, unclear or insufficiently understandable, insufficiently clear, and to interpret it to the level of comprehensibility. Hermeneutics can rightfully be called the art of understanding. Legal hermeneutics as an art is, in principle, a very complex process that can also be characterized as a process requiring the application of knowledge from various scientific fields. Legal knowledge, in the specific case of interpreting legal norms by procedural bodies, cannot be disputed. However, legal knowledge is not always sufficient to ensure adequate interpretation and application of law in a given case. The need for legal hermeneutics arises in situations where there is a discrepancy between the spirit and letter of a legal norm, when the legal norm is unclear, contradictory, ambiguous, or even polysemous, and of course, in situations where there is an absence of legal norms regulating a specific issue. The above indicates the importance and dimension of the application of legal hermeneutics as a timeless skill in the field of law and the application of legal norms. In line with the topic, the paper analyzes several important questions: how to define the term legal hermeneutics, what are the reasons leading to the need for legal hermeneutics, and finally, which characteristic forms of legal hermeneutics can be singled out and presented more closely, according to the criterion of means or methods of interpretation.

The aim of this paper is to analyze the legal obligations to update digital products within the context of contracts for the supply of digital content and digital services. Through a legal analysis of the provisions of the German Civil Code relevant to this obligation, the study explores the specificities that make this requirement distinctive for digital products. The research methodology includes a qualitative analysis of legal texts and relevant literature to identify key elements and challenges in the implementation of the obligation to update. The findings reveal that suppliers are legally obliged to provide updates for digital products even when such an obligation is not explicitly stipulated in the contract. This research contributes to a better understanding of the legal aspects of updating digital products and provides a foundation for future legislative initiatives and practical guidelines for suppliers.

In our region, multi-ethnicity, multi-confessionalism, and multilingualism are common phenomena, and therefore the challenges they face are not exceptions. With the emancipation and transition of countries in the region, accession to the European Union, states have brought new legislative frameworks in which they have recognized long- standing personal characteristics of their citizens, provided protection for these characteristics, and criminalized attacks based on these personal characteristics, as well as incitement of hatred and intolerance based on the same. This paper presents the criminal offense of inciting national, racial, and religious hatred and intolerance, within the framework of constitutional and particularly criminal law. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the legal framework and the provision of the offense in the legislation of the Republic of Serbia, the actions and methods of committing this criminal offense. Additionally, attention is given to the analysis of motives and reasons, as well as the consequences of committing this offense, questions of causality and possibilities of concurrence with other criminal offenses. Some important characteristics of this criminal offense are also discussed, such as: place, object, time, perpetrator, and form of guilt for the execution of the crime.

Underage marriages represent a specific form of marriage, established between underage partners, one or both of whom are minors. Underage marriage is a complex social phenomenon that withstands social changes, highlighting the relevance of this topic. The aim of the research of this paper is to look at the legal solutions concerning underage marriage in the Republic of Serbia with special reference to the legislations of France, England, Germany, Romania and Poland. By using the normative method, the authors will analyze the provisions of the most important laws that are relevant to the topic in the mentioned countries, while comparative analysis will reveal similarities and differences on issues related to underage marriage. Drawing on research that has examined the prevalence of underage marriages worldwide, the authors will present these findings to gain insights into the “real-life” situation, i.e., the prevalence of these marriages.

Directive (EU) 2019/1937 of the European parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2019 on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law prohibits retaliation against whistleblowers, particularly in the form of coercion, intimidation, discrimination, unfavorable or unjust treatment. This potential of relation to EU anti- discrimination legislation is not entirely clear. The current limited judicial practice from the Czech Republic still lacks clear answers. The aim of this paper is to assess and analyze the relationship between EU legislation on whistleblower protection and anti-discrimination legislation.

The issue of the minimum wage has been attracting attention for many years, not only from experts, but also from the general public. Determining the minimum wage in every country, including Serbia, aims to establish minimum standards for personal income and combat poverty. The basic feature of the minimum wage is that it is a temporary measure, lasting up to 6 months, as a response to an employer’s poor financial performance, and as such it represents an extraordinary measure, which should be abolished upon returning to the normal economic conditions. Upon resuming normal business operations, the employer is required to compensate employees for the shortfall, ensuring they receive their contracted salary in full. However, instead of the minimum wage being an exception, used only in extraordinary circumstances, it has now become commonplace in the labor market, challenging the original concept of the minimum wage and raising questions about its effectiveness. This paper aims to examine the concept of wage and minimum wage in Serbia, along with its practical implications in the domestic labor market.

Introduction: Bioclimatic conditions are of great importance for all forms of tourism, especially for health tourism, as they should encompass therapeutic and prophylactic characteristics. Over the last three decades, tourism in Zlatibor has been continuously growing in terms of tourist numbers and the development of tourist infrastructure. This paper presents the bioclimatic and climatic conditions on Mount Zlatibor from the perspective of their impact on tourism. More precisely, it examines their influence on tourist movements on this mountain and their significance for the development of health tourism. Materials and Methods: Research data were obtained through the analysis of temperature, air pressure, humidity, insolation, and precipitation levels. Based on these data, physiological equivalent temperature (PET) values and the universal thermal climate index (UTCI) were calculated. Results: The obtained results of bioclimatic indices (PET and UTCI) indicate potential stress due to extreme cold in the mornings and evenings from late October to the second decade of March. Pleasant warmth prevails during the summer months in the mornings and evenings. In terms of health, the climate of Zlatibor is suitable for maintaining health, as well as for treating various lung diseases, anemia, heart and blood vessel disorders, especially thyroid disorders. Bioclimatic conditions closely correlate with tourist movements on Zlatibor, as evidenced by climate data and the results obtained from PET and UTCI calculations. Conclusion: Comparing tourist numbers over a five-year period reveals that bioclimatic conditions significantly influence Zlatibor’s peak tourist season, which occurs during the summer months. This period offers the most favorable bioclimatic conditions, attracting the highest number of visitors to the mountain, especially those seeking health and recreational activities.