The second meeting of the EU-BiH Structural Dialogue on Justice was held in Sarajevo on November 10 – 11, 2011. On behalf of the EU, the meeting was chaired by Director Pierre Mirel. The Head of Delegation/EU Special Representative, Ambassador Peter Sorensen also attended the introductory part.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the European Commission adopted several comprehensive recommendations. Among other things, the recommendations contain measures that need to be taken urgently in the following areas:
- Reducing the number of backlogs,
- Implementation of the National War Crimes Strategy (including concrete measures to consolidate case referrals and guarantee equal treatment of citizens before the law);
- Coordination among judicial institutions,
- Reform of the appellate system in the Court of BiH through the formation of a separate appellate court,
- Measures to guarantee a smooth and gradual reduction in the number of international staff, as well as consolidation of expertise in the sector,
- Improving the penal system,
- Cooperation of prosecutors and law enforcement representatives, and
- Strengthening budgetary competencies and allocation of financial resources.
Some legislative measures were also discussed (e.g. adoption of the Law on Prosecutor’s Offices of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and amendments to the Law on Execution of Criminal Sanctions of the Federation of BiH, adoption of the Framework Law on Free Legal Aid, draft Law on Courts of RS).
The EU-BiH structural dialogue on the judiciary began in June 2011 with the aim of establishing a comprehensive platform. It is expected that the platform will allow a consistent and general discussion of all deficiencies in the sector, with systematic identification of common solutions for the purpose of bringing BiH closer to the European institutions.
