Brussels: Second tranche of IPA funds for prosecutors' salaries next month

A ministerial meeting was held in Brussels today as part of the Structured Dialogue on the Judiciary between the EU and BiH, attended by BiH Minister of Justice Josip Grubeša, Federation of BiH Minister of Justice Mato Jozić, Republika Srpska Minister of Justice Anton Kasipović, and President of the Brčko District BiH Judicial Commission Safet Pizović. The meeting was chaired by European Commissioner for Enlargement Johannes Hahn and Jean Eric Pacquet, Director of DG NEAR, reports the Patria News Agency.

Commissioner Hahn emphasized the commitment to judicial reform while respecting full independence, accountability, professionalism, and efficiency. The European Commission particularly praised the adoption of the Justice Sector Reform Strategy at the state level on 08.09.2015, which created conditions, among other things, for the release of the second tranche of IPA II funds for financing prosecutors' salaries. In response to Minister Grubeša's inquiry, representatives of the European Commission confirmed that the second tranche would be released next month.

Minister Grubeša expressed his conviction at the meeting that "Bosnia and Herzegovina's institutions, including the institution I lead, know what needs to be done and are mature enough to achieve and implement the desired reform processes in cooperation with other relevant domestic and international institutions on the path to European integration, and thus judicial reform as an independent and impartial pillar of this society."

Minister Grubeša added:

"We want to increase BiH's competitiveness in international flows, we want to bring investments to BiH, but for that, we must first establish a judiciary that will guarantee fair treatment for all who are present and do business in the territory of BiH. This is necessary, considering Bosnia and Herzegovina's efforts to join the European Union countries as soon as possible."

Addressing the issue of processing war crimes and implementing the Strategy for work on war crimes cases, the BiH Minister of Justice emphasized:

"I am following the trials of individuals suspected of committing grave criminal offenses during that period, and as the Minister of Justice two decades later, I am striving to bring these processes to an end. I was a boy then, today I am a grown man, the Minister of Justice. The witnesses from that time, middle-aged people, are now displaced in search of a better life, have died, and evidence has been destroyed over time or lost. Closing that chapter is important for reconciliation and the continuation of life, primarily for the victims but also for everyone else. I think we have exceeded all reasonable deadlines, and it is important now to professionally process all perpetrators of war crimes and finally calm the spirits of the past."

It was agreed at the meeting that the TAIEX seminar scheduled for October 1-2 in Sarajevo will serve as a platform for a professional discussion on the relevant provisions and the Draft Law on Courts in BiH, as announced by the Ministry of Justice of BiH.