EU surprised by review of HJPC Conflict of Interest Rulebook

In May 2014, the Structured Dialogue on Justice was expanded to other rule of law issues, including the fight against corruption, which was also a response to justified citizen protests due to the lack of tangible results in this area. In this regard, a set of recommendations was given to strengthen the accountability and integrity of judicial institutions and – among other things – first regulate the issue of conflict of interest in the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC), and then in the judiciary as a whole, states the reaction of the EU Delegation to BiH, reports the BiH news agency Patria.

- Although we welcome the swift reaction of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council to implement these recommendations, and it adopted the Conflict of Interest Rulebook for its members in September, which the European Commission praised in the 2014 Progress Report, the EU Delegation and EUSR are surprised by the initiated proposals to review this issue at the next session of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council. Positive efforts made in recent months should not be wasted – it was announced from the EU Delegation to BiH.

The European Union will continue to support the efforts of the BiH judiciary to increase the level of accountability and prevent corruption within its ranks, as measures to build citizens' trust in an impartial and professional judicial system. In this regard, the upcoming technical assistance seminar (TAIEX) on this topic should help overcome any ambiguities and provide a basis for further clarifications.

Otherwise, the HJPC session is scheduled for November 26. We remind you that this is about the request of HJPC member Jovan Čizmović to amend the rulebook, so that he can decide on the appointment of his son to the position of judge.