Daviddi: Prevent conflict of interest in BiH judicial institutions

Today in Sarajevo, a two-day seminar on the topic „Conflict of interest in the judiciary in Bosnia and Herzegovina“ began, organized by the European Commission and financed through the Instrument for Technical Assistance and Information Exchange (TAIEX), announced the EU Delegation in Sarajevo, as reported by the Bosnian news agency Patria.

- This activity takes place within the framework of the Structured Dialogue on Justice between the EU and BiH, with the aim of considering relevant practices and European standards in preventing and combating conflicts of interest in the judiciary. The introductory seminar, with the participation of relevant civil society organizations, began this morning at the premises of the European Union Delegation in Sarajevo.

Charge d'affaires Dr. Renzo Daviddi welcomed representatives of judicial institutions at various levels in BiH, emphasizing that effective prevention of conflict of interest is one of the key elements in achieving standards of accountable judiciary in BiH as a European Union standard.

- Preventing conflict of interest helps ensure the integrity and public trust in judicial institutions, and on the eve of the anniversary of civil protests, it is necessary to consolidate that integrity and trust. Preventing conflict of interest also helps prevent situations where conflicting private interests could undermine the independence and impartiality of decision-makers and, in turn, negatively affect the credibility of a process whose final outcome, regardless of its content, would be perceived as unfair - Dr. Daviddi pointed out.

Special emphasis was placed on regulating conflict of interest in the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In this regard, Dr. Daviddi stressed that „the level of integrity and accountability of judicial councils and the judiciary as a whole is one of the criteria that the European Union carefully assesses and will not deviate from this practice established during previous EU enlargements“.

Seminar participants have the opportunity to exchange experiences with experts from four EU member states (Belgium, Croatia, Germany and Italy), who informed their colleagues in BiH that public trust in the judiciary should be considered as a relevant parameter when establishing rules for preventing conflict of interest and the specific weight of such regulations.

The expert team will continue working together with representatives of judicial institutions from across BiH during today and tomorrow. The seminar will conclude tomorrow, after which the European Commission services will publish summary conclusions and recommendations.