A panel of international legal experts has called for improvements to Serbia's controversial reform of its judiciary, which is crucial for its EU accession bid. The European Union has threatened to freeze €1.5 billion in grants and loans due to the slow progress of these reforms. The Venice Commission, a panel of legal experts at the Council of Europe, stated that the changes in the judiciary and the prosecution system lacked a thorough public discussion, consultation, and a thorough impact assessment. The commission recommended nine steps to improve the laws, including reinstating temporarily assigned prosecutors whose appointments have been prematurely terminated and making the fixed terms of court presidents non-renewable.