A needs assessment mission has been organised in Belgrade, aiming to gather relevant information on the challenges related to position, competencies, and powers of financial forensic experts within the prosecution, their training needs and resources at their disposal. On the meetings with the police, financial forensic experts, prosecutors, and judiciary various challenges were discussed, including legal framework, institutional set-up of the prosecution, organization of work in investigations and role of financial forensics in the judicial proceedings. Several areas that would benefit from further improvements have been identified, including the need to achieve a clear distinction between financial forensic experts and other financial consultants, establishing operating procedures, enhancing human and IT resources to conduct the analytical work, a need for having specialized trainings as well as to harmonise judicial practices in treating financial forensic evidence. The employment and social benefits were also discussed, having in view current status of financial forensic experts engaged within the Public Prosecution for Organised Crime, as well as the engagements of financial forensic experts with other higher prosecutions in Serbia. 
 
Based on materials provided and conducted interviews, a report will be prepared with recommendations for potential improvement of legal framework for financial forensic experts in terms of their position within the prosecution, independence, role in the proceedings, organisational and institutional capacities for the work and resources at their disposal. 
 
The activity has taken place within the Project “Countering Economic Crime in Serbia”, funded by the Swedish International Development Agency, and implemented by the Council of Europe.