Participants in the closing conference of an EU Twinning project dedicated to strengthening the capacity of judicial authorities agreed that independence and enhancing of capacity of both High Judicial Council and State Prosecutorial Council was the cornerstone of efficient judiciary. Unbiased, professional and responsible judiciary is the foundation of citizens’ trust, they said.
President of the High Judicial Council Dragomir Milojevic said that Serbia was striving to improve the judicial system and increase its independence, adding that it is necessary to continuously enhance the capacity of courts.
State Secretary at the Ministry of Economy Mirko Cikiriz said that independent, unbiased, professional and responsible judiciary was the starting point and cornerstone of citizens’ confidence.
The Ministry has extended unconditional support to the project aimed at these, as he put it, key authorities.
“The need to strengthen the capacity of the High Judicial Council and State Prosecutorial Council is foreseen by the National Judicial Reform Strategy,” Cikiriz said.
Republic Public Prosecutor Zagorka Dolovac said that the project had supported the State Prosecutorial Council in building its capacity both professionally and analytically.
The project, she said, is important not only in terms of ensuring the independence of public prosecutors, but also in terms ensuring Serbia’s progress in chapter 23 within EU accession talks.
Nicolas Bizel of the EU Delegation to Serbia said that independence of judiciary was the cornerstone of judicial reform, adding that such reform should be implemented in line with previously offered recommendations.
“Majority of recommendations have not been acted on. It takes political will to implement them,” Bizel said.
The goal of the 30-month project, worth EUR2 million, was the transfer of good practice, experience and expertise between Spanish and Greek judicial authorities and the High Judicial Council, the State Prosecutorial Council and the Ministry of Justice with a view to harmonising Serbian regulations with EU acquis.
The project was aimed at strengthening the capacity of said authorities in terms of selection and promotion of judges, public prosecutors and their deputies, strengthening of disciplinary responsibility of judges and judicial ethics as well as at improving the relation with other public authorities, media and civil society.
Today, Zagorka Dolovac signed a Protocol on Cooperation, with a view to promoting the 2006 Memorandum, with Attorney General of Spain José Manuel Maza.
The Protocol provides for cooperation between public prosecutors’ offices of the two countries in areas of transnational and organized crime, terrorism, corruption, human, drug and weapons trafficking, human smuggling and money laundering.
