General Programme Objective
Improvement of access to justice and restoration of public confidence in judiciary.
Programme duration: November 2010 – November 2013
Donor: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway
Implementing Agency: International Management Group (www.img-int.org)
Key Stakeholders:
- Basic and Higher Courts;
- High Judicial Council;
- Supreme Court of Cassation;
- Juvenile Justice Council;
- Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Serbia;
- Judicial Academy;
- Ministry of Labour and Social Policy;
- Republic Institute for Social Protection.
Programme Description
This is an institutional support programme that will provide a combination of physical infrastructure support and provision for increased administrative capabilities. Therefore, the programme will have one ‘hard’ perspective of e.g. technical assistance, construction and tools production and one ‘soft’ perspective including e.g. trainings, mentoring and establishment of policies and procedures.
- The programme is comprised of three project components:
- Improving Court Performance and Access to Justice;
- Supporting the reform of the Juvenile Justice System;
- Strengthening the High Judicial Council.
Project component 1 | Improving Court Performance and Access to Justice
Seven courts (higher and basic) have been selected to build a model for better public access to courts and better court performance.
The selected courts are:Higher Court in Nis, Basic Court in Nis, Higher Court in Pirot, Basic court in Pirot, Basic Court in Leskovac, Higher Court in Vranje and Basic Court in Uzice.
Specific Objectives:
- To enhance the image of the courts to accessible and reliable institutions of justice;
- To improve the administrative capabilities of the courts.
Project component 2 | Reform of the Juvenile Justice System
The project will work at national level to support the Government of Serbia’s efforts to reform the juvenile justice system.
Specific Objectives:
- To improve the juvenile justice system in implementing diversionary measures and alternative sanctions for juvenile offenders;
- To strengthen the Juvenile Justice Council to play a key catalyst role in reform of juvenile justice system;
- To improve the situation of children deprived of their liberty;
- To intensify the implementation of special protection provisions of Juvenile Justice Law concerning children as victims and witnesses.
Project component 3 | Strengthening the High Judicial Council
The project intends to support High Judicial Council in securing its role as an independent and autonomous core judicial institution.
Specific Objectives:
- To establish effective courts users’ complaint process and announce it publicly;
- To establish an effective disciplinary process and announce it publicly;
- To ensure high capability within the HJC Administrative Office;
- To improve HJC ICT- and general infrastructure;
- To establish a well assorted physical and digital legal library.
Programme Outcome:
The programme will facilitate and simplify access to justice to all, with a direct impact on the process of establishing a more transparent, open and efficient judicial system.
