Cooperation between HJPC BiH and EU Continues to Strengthen the Judiciary

(Patria) - Improving the IT systems of judicial institutions, introducing strategic planning in courts, providing expert support to higher instance courts in systematizing judicial practice opinions, promoting alternative dispute resolution methods, supporting prosecutor's offices in processing economic crime cases and conducting financial investigations, are just some of the results achieved during the implementation of the three-year project "Building an Effective Judiciary in the Service of Citizens" which the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HJPC BiH) implemented with the financial support of the European Union.

The project results were presented at the final conference on December 8, 2021, in Sarajevo, which was attended by about 100 participants in person and online.

The project focused on building an independent, high-quality, and efficient judiciary in BiH, in line with European standards. All project activities were aimed at working with domestic judicial institutions, relevant ministries, chambers of commerce, non-governmental organizations, and other relevant partners with the aim of strengthening the rule of law in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"HJPC BiH is committed to strengthening the rule of law in BiH as one of the fundamental values of a democratic society and a key prerequisite for Bosnia and Herzegovina's entry into the European Union. Together with our project partners, we have enabled the initiation of organizational changes within judicial institutions, worked on establishing close dialogue with courts and prosecutor's offices, as well as with law enforcement agencies, and on establishing better communication with the media and citizens, and achieved results that are very important for the continuation of reform processes," said Halil Lagumdžija, President of HJPC BiH.

Nicolas Bizel, Head of the Department for Justice, Internal Affairs and Public Administration Reform at the Delegation of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina, said that this project is part of the broader support of the European Union to the BiH judiciary. "This project has achieved certain concrete results, and we expect the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of BiH to build upon this support and continue its commitment to restoring citizens' full confidence in the judiciary. The European Commission's 2021 Report on BiH emphasized that progress in the area of the rule of law is one of the most important priorities for BiH's European integration, and the EU will continue to provide support to HJPC and the judiciary as a whole," stated Bizel.

The importance of implementing such projects, and the results achieved in the judicial institutions from which they come, were also discussed by Vesna Antonić, President of the Supreme Court of Republika Srpska, Vuk Lučić, Judge of the Appellate Court of Brčko District BiH, Goran Dujić, President of the Municipal Court in Travnik, and Sabina Sarajlija, Chief Prosecutor of the Cantonal Prosecutor's Office of Sarajevo Canton. During their presentations, they highlighted how significant the HJPC BiH's support through this project was for strengthening the capacities of judicial institutions, which will directly reflect on providing higher quality services to citizens and contribute to restoring confidence in the work of judicial institutions.

The conference was organized in compliance with the prescribed epidemiological measures for the prevention of the occurrence and spread of the COVID-19 virus.