At the session held at the end of September 2016, the Assembly of the City of Kraljevo adopted a decision on exercise of the right to compensation of costs of vitro fertilization, with an intention to determine the wider rights than the compulsory health insurance rights, aimed at including a larger number of couples in the procedure of vitro fertilization. Despite that, the decision envisages that a couple can exercise this right only if they have permanent residence registered at the territory of the City of Kraljevo for at least three years prior to submitting a request, which ruled out the possibility that internally displaced persons residing in the territory of the City of Kraljevo for more than three years, nearly 20,000 of them, also exercise this right.

Praxis has filed a complaint to the Commissioner for Protection of Equality. The Assembly of the City of Kraljevo has, meanwhile, changed the impugned decision and thus expressed its willingness to provide the exercise of the right to reimbursement of costs for vitro fertilization to all citizens under equal conditions.

Even though Praxis has withdrawn the complaint, it is important to point out that the adoption of decision that essentially improve the position of individuals and groups, such as the above stated case, can cause distortion of the principle of equality regardless of the intention of decision makers. They need to pay special attention to it, especially having in mind the position of the vulnerable individuals and groups such as internally displaced persons.

For more information, see the related announcement here.