REPORT ON REORGANISATION OF MINOR OFFENCE COURTS IN BOSNIA PRESENTED IN SARAJEVO

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (November 15,2007) – Reform of the minor offence system in Bosnia has been successfully completed and it shows that when there is political willingness, Bosnia possesses capacities that can respond to EU standards and requirements. This was stated in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo during the presentation of the Final Report on the Project of Reorganising the Bosnian Minor Offence Courts.

Reform of the minor offence system was implemented under the auspices of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) and with the financial backing of the European Commission and additional assistance of the Italian Government. It has incorporated earlier minor offence courts (prior to the reform there were 122 minor offence courts in Bosnia) into the system of regular courts – municipal, i.e. district courts.

HJPC President Branko Peric said that reform in this field has resulted in the establishment of a more effective and cost efficient system.

Speaking at the presentation Peric reminded that the number of minor offence judges has been reduced by 50 percent, from 308 prior to the reform to 154, which is the present number of minor offence judges.

Head of the European Commission Delegation to Bosnia Dimitris Kourkoulas also underlined the importance of justice reform for Bosnia and stressed that the success of this reform shows that new solutions can be implemented despite the complex political structure in the country.

He said that should not be an excuse for an impasse in reforms and underlined the readiness of the European Commission to continue providing political and financial support to HJPC.

The Italian Ambassador to Bosnia Alessandro Fallavolita expressed satisfaction with the fact that his government has contributed to the successful implementation of the reorganisation of minor offence courts in Bosnia, but also to other projects as part of the Bosnian justice reform.

He described justice reform as a key element for the sustainable development of the country and its integration with the EU. He said that the success of this project represents a good signal in terms of the existence of capacities for overcoming the impasse and restarting processes that will return Bosnia to the path of European integrations.

One of the greatest achievements of this project is the development of a Registry of Fines database for the enforcement of Minor Offence Orders.