PM Plenkovic call for faster, better, more modern justice system

The legal and justice systems must keep on upgrading in line with the requirements of the times, it was said at the "Faster, Better, More Modern Justice System" conference in Zagreb on Wednesday, organised on the occasion of European Day of Justice.

The event was opened by Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, who said the justice system should be faster, better and more modern, and that this was the direction the government, the Justice Ministry and everyone in the system wanted to take. The judicial reform is one of the longest as well as crucial for economic growth and the perception of Croatia as investment-friendly, he added.

He said the work of judicial bodies was "a key political, economic and legal issue," adding that many reforms had been undertaken, "but it's a lasting process and we need additional effort to achieve the highest European standards."

Plenkovic said those reforms resulted in fewer courts as well as pending cases, which dropped from over 1.6 million in 2004 to a little over 470,000. "But we are aware the situation still isn't satisfactory," he said, adding that proceedings took too long, breaching citizens' right to a trial within a reasonable time as well as impacting the economy and investments.

He underlined the importance of an independent justice system. "The executive authority must not get into specific proceedings. Those are principles our government understands and respects. We haven't forgotten the separation of powers and we deeply believe in it," he said, but added that judges' independence did not rule out responsibility for their decisions.

The prime minister said citizens must be an important element of the reform efforts as the speed of the resolution of disputes was often vital. "Confidence in the justice system is low and it's a perception we must change together."

Justice Minister Drazen Bosnjakovic said the perception of the justice system in public was very poor, primarily because of "some decisions which cast a shadow on everything good that gets done," voicing confidence that the actual state of affairs was markedly better than the public perception.

He underlined the importance of technologically upgrading the justice system, and announced amendments to the law on courts and the merging of magistrates' and municipal courts. "We want to modernise processes in land registries... accelerate the appointment of judges and increase the responsibility of all working in the system," he said.

Text: Hina

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