Series:Fondacija Centar za javno pravo - Projekti

Selection and mandate of judges of the Republika Srpska Constitutional Court

Izbor i mandat sudija Ustavnog suda Republike Srpske

Author(s): Marko Rajčević / Language(s): Serbian

Keywords: Public law; constitution; Constitutional court; RS; judges; mandate; selection; requirements; procedure;

Nakon izloženog da se zaključiti da su način izbora i dužina mandata dovoljna garancija nezavisne pozicije sudija i Ustavnog suda Republike Srpske. Iako ne postoji idealan model odabira ustavnih sudija, smatram da je, principijelno gledano, model koji se primjenjuje u Republici Srpskoj adekvatan potrebi da se izaberu najkvalitetniji kandidati za te važne funkcije. Ovo zato što je u dovoljnoj mjeri zastupljen uticaj struke kroz djelovanje VSTS kao politički nezavisnog organa, ali i osigurano učešće izvršne i zakonodavne vlasti kao političkih faktora procedure izbora, što joj obezbjeđuje neophodan demokratski legitimitet. Kada se ovome doda i stalnost sudijske funkcije, može se tvrditi da su tako stvoreni osnovni preduslovi objektivnog obavljanja poslova iz nadležnosti Ustavnog suda Republike Srpske.

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The process of social inclusion in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the context of European integration

Proces socijalnog uključivanja u Bosni i Hercegovini u kontekstu evropskih integracija

Author(s): Dragan Popović / Language(s): Bosnian

Keywords: Public law; social exclusion; social inclusion; EU accession; BiH; ethnic minorities; disabled people; refugees; gender equality; work; employment; social protection; health insurance; human rights;

Social inclusion is a process which ensures that persons, who fall into risk group and who are in threat of poverty and social exclusion, are given an opportunity and necessary resources in order to fully participate in economic, social and cultural life, and also the opportunity to enjoy a standard of living and prosperity, which is considered normal in a society in which they live. By social inclusion is ensured that an individual is fully involved in decision making processes directly related to his/her life and access to basic economic, social and political rights. The process of joining the EU provides a basis for strengthening social inclusion in Bosnia and Herzegovina, due to the needs to implement European standards in the context of social exclusion, as well as policies for its reduction. In order to join the European Union, Bosnia and Herzegovina must build capacity to address problem of social exclusion, and fulfill the preconditions relating to the social dimension of the European Union. Therefore, the issue of social inclusion is one of the main issues of development in Bosnia and Herzegovina, because it is important that Bosnia and Herzegovina provide better future to it’s citizens.

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Exercising rights from pension and disability insurance in BiH: (in)equality of citizens

Ostvarivanje prava iz mirovinskog i invalidskog osiguranja u BiH: (ne)jednakost građana

Author(s): Nikolina Obradović / Language(s): Croatian

Keywords: Public law; constitution; Constitutional court; social protection; social rights; pension system; disability insurance; BiH; entities; human rights;

The author discusses the issue of equality and inequality in achieving rights from pension and disability insurance in Bosnia and Herzegovina through the analysis of the set conditions related to insurance and age limits regarding the rights to old-age pension in accordance with the general provisions on the pension and disability insurance, and special regulations on the retirement in both entities. A special problem of inequality occur due to differences in incomes of pensioners, beneficiaries of the entity’s pension found institutions and disability insurance, for the persons who were granted retirement before the war, with a single insurance found institution and the single economic space. This is an open problem that burdens the insurance institution in the entities. In the conclusions and recommendations, the author suggests modalities to resolve the issues of inequality by strengthening the role of state government levels.

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Supreme Court for Bosnia and Herzegovina: reflecting on its necessity

Vrhovni sud za Bosnu i Hercegovinu: razmišljanja o njegovoj neophodnosti

Author(s): Manfred Dauster / Language(s): Bosnian

Keywords: Public law; constitution; judiciary; history; Supreme court; BiH; necessity; thoughts; EU accession;

In completion of its statehood, Bosnia and Herzegovina shall establish the up to now missing Supreme Court as exclusively. This institution on top of the judicial hierarchy provides uniform and country-wide justice, ensures equality before law and guarantees better economic competition conditions for (foreign) investments and simultaneously facilitates the country’s accession to European Union.

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Establishment of Supreme Court of BiH: current legal thinking on theoretical inconsistency in practice

Uspostavljanje Vrhovnoga suda BiH: aktualna pravna misao o teoretskoj nedosljednosti u praksi

Author(s): Maja Sahadžić / Language(s): Croatian

Keywords: Public law; constitution; Constitutional court; Supreme Court; establishment; BiH; legislation; thought; theoretical inconsistency; practices;

Uniform application of law with respect to all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina may be ensured only throughout legal unity and equality before the law. This is conceivable solely as long as if integral and hierarchical legal system with the Supreme Court at the top exists. Unity of the state is always discussed through legal unity and rule of law. As a matter of fact, the Supreme Court is ensuring uniform application and interpretation of law; equality of citizens before the law; and individual interests of citizens. Without the Supreme Court, legal certainty, equality before the law and uniform application of law for all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina is compromised through differences in interpretation and application of substantive and procedural law before all courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Establishing the Supreme Court in Bosnia and Herzegovina would correspond to effective and rational fashion of legal acts harmonization e.g. final decision-making related to interpretation and application of substantive and procedural law before all courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina irrespective of establishing mechanism and aspect towards other courts.

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Does Bosnia and Herzegovina need a single supreme court?

Da li je Bosni i Hercegovini potreban jedan vrhovni sud?

Author(s): Vesna Rakić-Vodinelić / Language(s): Serbian

Keywords: Public law; constitution; Constitutional court; government; BiH; entities; civil law; Supreme court;

The need to establish the Supreme Court which would have the competence on the entire territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been considered. In order to answer the question whether BiH really needs a Supreme Court as such, first there is a need to answer the questions relevant to any judicial organization: What is the type of government structure in BiH from the legal and practical point of view – unitary, federal/regional, with symmetric or asymmetric federalism/regionalism, or confederation? What type of organization do BiH courts fit into from the government structure point of view? Is there as basis to compare judicial structure in BiH with European states (if so, which states), in order to perhaps find efficient example of the role model? Does the current court structure provide legal equality (pertaining to both substance and process) of legal entities, as viewed both from legislative and pragmatic aspect? Bearing in mind the answers to the preceding questions, is it possible to formulate the efficient proposal related to the highest judicial instance in BiH? The conclusion is that BiH is actually weak federation of asymmetric type (one of its entities has federal, the other has unitary structure and Brčko District has a special status) which is subject to international protectorate. Considering the open ethnical preferences of two ethnical communities and “special parallel relations” established with neighbouring countries (Article II/2/a/) it can be asserted that the borderline between weak federation and confederation in BiH is extremely fluid. Constitutional Court and Court of BiH exercise the judicial authority on the entire territory of BiH. Although constitutional courts usually do not classify as the bodies of regular judicial authority, this classification seems justified in the case of BiH bearing in mind some of the competencies of this Court. These are appellate competence (i.e. constitutional complaint or constitutional appeal) “for issues related to the Constitution which stem from the ruling of any other court” in BiH (Article VI/3 /b/) and submission of question from any other court in BiH on compliance of certain documents with BiH Constitution, European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights, as well as on the implications of general norms of the international law. Basically, the Court of BiH is the federal court with first instance competence in the domain of criminal and administrative disputes related to the BiH regulations, and exceptionally, for some criminal acts, related to the entity regulations. In litigation and executive-judicial area the Court has a meagre competence in solving inter-entity disputes (including district) and in compulsory execution. Legal remedies against the decisions of this Court are all of remonstration kind (retraction) and allow only for the control of the decisions of this Court, not of the entity courts. Therefore, this court, both by its name and by its competence is not a supreme court. After the constitutional reform in 2000 and following the legal comparative review of the structure of the courts in federations, the Swiss Federal Court competencies, position and jurisdiction are used as an example. It is recommended to establish a Supreme Court of BiH which would unite in itself the Constitutional Court and competencies of the Swiss Federal Court in civic, criminal and public right area. Thereby, in cases of extraordinary legal remedies, it would be possible to check the decisions made by the entity courts in terms of the implementation of law in BiH with an objective to achieve the uniform implementation of law and real equality of citizens before the law.

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Does BiH require a single supreme court?

Treba li BiH jedan vrhovni sud?

Author(s): Ljubomir Ožegović / Language(s): Serbian

Keywords: Public law; constitution; Constitutional court; Supreme Court; BiH; necessity; jurisdiction; legislation; evaluation;

The paper, which tries to answer the question of whether Bosnia and Herzegovina needs one Supreme Court, from theoretical and practical aspects, has shown the environment in which arguments are looked for in order to justify one of two possible answers and solutions. As in many other situations in life, which seems are not exceptions, so in this case it is not possible to find only those arguments that speak in favor of single answer. In order to attempt to find an appropriate solution, the author pays special attention to the supreme jurisdiction of the courts which are either constitutionally or by the law defined as the uniform application of law and ensuring the equality of citizens. After comparing this competence with the same powers of the supreme courts in other legal systems in the neighboring area and outside it, and bringing in correlation with certain international legal standards, the author tries to give a realistic view on how is possible to incorporate mentioned values in the legal justice system of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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The Supreme Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina: the answer to the problem or another project in continuous judicial reform

Vrhovni sud BiH: Odgovor na probleme ili samo još jedan projekat u kontinuiranim reformama pravosuđa

Author(s): Sevima Sali-Terzić / Language(s): Bosnian

Keywords: Public law; constitution; Constitutional court; Supreme Court; BiH; judiciary; reforms; court; practices;

The question if BiH needs one Supreme Court at the State level is a complex issue that involves much more consideration than just the mere creation of another court. This complexity derives not from various general arguments ‘for’ and ‘against’ its creation that tend to be more political rather than legal. It derives from variety of legal issues, primarily the constitutional bases for the creation of such Court, its jurisdiction, position within the legal BiH system, relation to other Entity courts including Supreme Courts and with the Court of BiH, etc. Also, the discussion should involve strategic issues of the further constitutional development and judicial reform. Is the creation of the BiH Supreme Court crucial for the further judicial reform and for the achievement of a more functional State? Or, is it more important to resolve some other, more difficult problems that judiciary faces in BiH, such as: huge backlog, trial in reasonable time, failures in the implementation of the Judicial Reform Strategy, continuing political pressures, lack of human and material resources, etc.? Author argues that in order to find the best solution it is important to carefully consider all the various questions and issues and not just to view the creation of the BiH Supreme Court as yet another project within judicial or constitutional reform.

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Establishment of the Supreme Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a condition for membership in the European Union

Osnivanje Vrhovnog suda Bosne i Hercegovine kao uslov za članstvo u Evropskoj uniji

Author(s): Zlatan Meškić / Language(s): Bosnian

Keywords: Public law; constitution; Constitutional court; BiH; Supreme Court; necessity; EU; EU accession; condition; entities; jurisdiction;

Bosna i Hercegovina (BiH) je jedina evropska država koja nema Vrhovni sud na državnom nivou. U radu se analizira da li ova posebnost bosansko-hercegovačkog pravosudnog sistema predstavlja prepreku za članstvo u Evropskoj uniji (EU). Ukazuje se na rezultate Venecijanske komisije koji nepostojanje državnog Vrhovnog suda pravdaju podjelom nadležnosti između države i entiteta u Ustavu BiH. Važan aspekt analize predstavlja pitanje da li je uspostava državnog Vrhovnog suda protivna Ustavu BiH. Osnivanje Vrhovnog suda BiH kao uslov za članstvo u EU ispituje se kroz Kopenhagenske i Madridske kriterije, te na osnovu godišnjih izvještaja Komisije u kojima se ocjenjuje napredak BiH u ispunjenju ovih kriterija. Posebna pažnja posvećena je dijelu izvještaja Komisije u kojem se navodi nedostatak napretka BiH u osnivanju Vrhovnog suda na državnom nivou. Izvještaj Komisije analizira se sa aspekta sudskog sistema EU, obaveza koje je BiH preuzela potpisivanjem Sporazuma o stabilizaciji i pridruživanju, te postojećeg sudskog sistema BiH. Zaključno se kriteriji koje EU postavlja pred BiH porede sa obavezama koje za BiH proizilaze iz Ustava BiH, nastojeći ukazati na nužna poboljšanja pravosudnog sistema BiH uzimajući u obzir posebnosti ustavnopravnog uređenja BiH.

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Does Bosnia and Herzegovina need a single supreme court: a contribution to the debate

Treba li Bosni i Hercegovini jedan vrhovni sud: prilog raspravi

Author(s): Goran Marković / Language(s): Serbian

Keywords: Public law; constitution; Constitutional court; BiH; Supreme Court; debate; necessity; government; judiciary;

In the professional and scientific public, as well as among the political elite, for a long time there is a discussion about whether BH needs Supreme Court and what is the possibility to establish it. It is clear that the possible establishment of the mentioned institution can come out only by revision of BH Constitution, by which it have to be stipulated its jurisdiction and procedure of selection of judges. Discussion about establishment of Supreme Court of BH or modification of jurisdiction of existing BH court must start from determining the nature of state organization of Bosnia and Herzegovina. If we start form the compound state structure and its, basically federal government structure, it becomes clear that the judicial institution at state level needs to ensure harmony of applying laws and other state official documents. Due to the problem of the pluralism of legal system in BH, which is in harmony with principle of separation of powers and adopted Federal principle, it is clear that judicial authority on state level must ensure the protection of the state legal system, while the entities, trough the tree level structure judicial authorities, would continue to protect their legal system and harmonization of judicial practice regarding implementation of entities’ law.

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Does Bosnia and Herzegovina need a supreme court?

Treba li Bosni i Hercegovini vrhovni sud?

Author(s): Nurko Pobrić / Language(s): Bosnian

Keywords: Public law; constitution; Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; BiH; necessity; VSTV; HJPC;entities; RS; FBiH; EU;

The author emphasizes the work of reason and the current need for a debate on the judicial system of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in conjunction with the discussion of the need for the establishment of the Supreme Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The paper presents outlines of a model of the complex of courts (federal) states. Explained the reasons - why in Bosnia and Herzegovina has not established the Supreme Court. Such an "institutional gap" author sees the shortcomings of the Dayton constitution. Despite these shortcomings, the author's opinion, interpreting the relevant provisions of the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Constitution can be found the basis for the decision of the Supreme Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the establishment of the Court. The analogy is receiving appropriate in the Law on Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina in which the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina found that in accordance with the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bosnia and Herzegovina (which in this respect can not be an exception compared to other states) requires the Supreme Court, because the existence of such a tribunal, as the highest court, ensures the unity of the judicial system, harmonization of court practice, the application of equal rights and equal justice before the law.

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Bosnia and Herzegovina needs a single supreme court

Bosna i Hercegovina treba jedan vrhovni sud

Author(s): Meddžida Kreso / Language(s): Bosnian

Keywords: Public law; constitution; Supreme Court; model: BiH; necessity; evaluation; history;

Ideja o potrebi osnivanja Vrhovnog suda u Bosni i Hercegovini polako sazrijeva, iako je njeno začeće postojalo već u prvim godinama nakon potpisivanja Dejtonskog sporazuma, odnosno Ustava BiH. Vrijeme je da se više i ne postavlja pitanje treba li Bosni i Hercegovini jedan Vrhovni sud, već da se pažnja stručnjaka usmjeri ka tome, koji bi to model takvog suda bio najprimjereniji njenoj strukturi i političkom uređenju.

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Structural Dialogue on Judicial Reform in BiH: Overview

Strukturalni dijalog o reformi pravosuđa u BiH: pregled

Author(s): Kristina Čuturić / Language(s): Croatian

Keywords: Public law; constitutional; Constitutional court; judiciary; reform; structural dialogue; BiH; overview; VSTV; HCPJ;

Prvi sastanak između BiH i EU o pravosuđu održan je u Banja Luci, 7. lipnja 2011. godine. U zaključku sastanka, Europska komisija je usvojila nekoliko preporuka: Prvi set preliminarnih preporuka, vezano za provedbu Strategije za reformu sektora pravde, Europska komisija: - Naglašava da Strategija za reformu sektora pravde uzima u obzir nadležnosti različitih institucija na državnoj, entitetskim, kantonalnim razinama i razini Brčko distrikta, i sadrži mnoga pitanja koja su relevantna za buduću europsku integraciju Bosne i Hercegovine; - preporučuje da relevantne domaće vlasti procijene stanje njihove trenutačne koordinacije i suradnje u provedbi Strategije za reformu sektora pravde. To se posebno odnosi na utvrđivanje nedostataka, njihovo pravovremeno rješavanje a samim tim i oživljavanje provedbe strategije; - u tom smislu, potiče sve nadležne vlasti da garantira aktivno, efikasno i konstruktivno sudjelovanje u radnim skupinama i Tehničkom tajništvu za provedbu strategije; - potiče sve relevantne vlasti i institucije da se uključe u konstruktivnu raspravu u cilju utvrđivanja mjera koje mogu dalje unaprijediti neovisnost, profesionalizam i odgovornost u cijelom sektoru; - naglašava značaj rješavanja problema neriješenih predmeta na efikasan i pravovremen način. U tom smislu, finalizirat će se, što je prije moguće, posebne zakonske mjere za rješavanje komunalnih predmeta, koje će se sustavno provesti, pri čemu će prioritet imati najugroženiji sudovi u zemlji. Također je potrebno razmotriti dodatne mjere kojima bi se sudovi rasteretili od predmeta koji mogu biti upućeni drugim institucijama (npr. javnim bilježnicima).

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Withdrawal of the decision of the Republican referendum on the work of the Court and Prosecutor's Office of BiH and the start of negotiations with the EU

Povlačenje odluke republičkog referenduma o radu suda i tužilaštva BiH i početak pregovora sa EU

Author(s): Adi Džamalija / Language(s): Croatian

Keywords: Public law; judiciary; reform; legal framework; republican referendum; activities; EU; BiH;

Strukturalni dijalog o reformi pravosuđa u svom fokusu ima reformu pravosuđa i put BiH prema Evropskoj uniji. Dijalog je nastao kao rezultat pregovora između predstavnika EU i Republike Srpske. Osnivanje i rad ovog dijaloga nije utemeljen u važećim pravnim propisima Bosne i Hercegovine. U radu dijaloga učestvuju predstavnici vlasti iz Republike Srpske, Federacije BiH i Evropske unije. Čini se da ova forma rada oslobađa prostor u kojem bi u pogledu ispunjenja uslova za članstvo u Evropskoj uniji entiteti mogli državi nametnuti obaveze (na indirektan način). EU je već dostavila prvi set preliminarih preporuka koje imaju za cilj brže pristupanje Bosne i Hercegovine Uniji. Cilj strukturalnog dijaloga je konsolidacija pravne države, odnosno vladavine prava u zemlji, stvaranje pravosudnog sistema koji će odgovarati standardu nezavisnosti, nepristrasnosti, koji će biti samostalan i koji će služiti svim građanima Bosne i Hercegovine.

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Structural dialogue on judicial reform

Strukturalni dijalog za reformu pravosuđa

Author(s): Amela Kadrić / Language(s): Bosnian

Keywords: Public law; constitution; Constitutional court; judiciary; reform; structural dialogue; EU; BiH; RS; FBiH; VSTV; HJPC;

Strukturalni dijalog za reformu pravosuđa u Bosni i Hercegovini, kao definisan institucionalni mehanizam, kako to tvrdi Visoka predstavnica Evropske unije za vanjsku i sigurnosnu politiku Catherine Ashton, pomoću kojeg se rješavaju pravosudna pitanja u zemljama koje se nalaze u procesu sticanja uslova za pridruženje Evropskoj uniji započeo je kao ustupak Evropske unije predsjedniku Republike Srpske Miloradu Dodiku ili, pak, kao ustupak Milorada Dodika Evropskoj uniji, ovisno iz kojeg se ugla posmatraju događaji. Ovaj projekat ima za cilj da se sagleda situacija u bosanskohercegovačkom pravosuđu kako bi se postigao sporazum o reformi pravosudnog sistema, te kako bi se ta reforma u konačnici i provela.

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About Structural Dialogue in the European Commission's Annual Report

O strukturalnom dijalogu u godišnjem izvještaju Evropske komisije

Author(s): Adi Džamalija / Language(s): Bosnian

Keywords: Public law; constitution; Constitutional court; judiciary; reform; structural dialogue; EU; EU accession; European commission; report; BiH; RS;

Krajem svake kalendarske godine Evropska komisija predstavlja svoj godišnji izvještaj u kojem se objašnjava politika proširenja EU kao i izvještaji o napretku u svakoj od država kandidata za članstvo u EU. Izvještaj sadrži strateški dokument o ciljevima za narednu godinu. Osim ovog strateškog dokumenta izvještaj sadrži i sažetak napretka u proteklih 12 mjeseci za svaku državu kandidatkinju i potencijalnog kandidata. Nakon zahtjeva Republike Srbije za članstvo u EU, Komisija će također u toku ove godine predstaviti paket mišljenja o spremnosti Srbije da pristupi pregovorima za članstvo. U ovom dokumentu Komisija će ponuditi detaljnu analizu zahtjeva Srbije u odnosu na kriterije usvojene u Kopenhagenu. Nakon zatvaranja pregovora o pristupanju EU sa Hrvatskom, Evropska komisija će također predstaviti formalno mišljenje u skladu sa članom 49. ugovora iz Mastrihta potvrđujući spremnost Hrvatske da potpiše sporazum o pristupanju EU. Ovogodišnji izvještaj Evropske komisije, kao i mišljenje o zahtjevu Republike Srbije, će poslužiti kao osnov za donošenje odluke Vijeća EU. Vijeće će u skladu sa rezolucijom Vijeća sigurnosti UN 1244/99 na svojoj sjednici u decembru 2011. godine jednoglasno donijeti odluku o mogućim koracima za svaku državu. U međuvremenu sve države su primile svoje godišnje izvještaje, a Komisija će i dalje nastaviti da daje podršku svim država u procesu pristupanja EU. Evropska komisija je 12. oktobra objavila ovogodišnji izvještaj o napretku prema članstvu u EU zapadnog Balkana, Turske i Islanda.

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Overview of the most important public-law events in 2012

Pregled najvažnijih javnopravnih događaja u 2012. godini

Author(s): Anida Ključanin / Language(s): Bosnian

Keywords: Public law; BiH; 2012; overview; census; judiciary; reform; volunteering; SDP; SNSD; agreement;

Potpisivanjem Sporazuma o stabilizaciji i pridruživanju 16. juna 2008. godine Bosna i Hercegovina je preuzela obavezu ispunjenja određenih standarda u domenu kvaliteta državne uprave i kapaciteta institucija, donošenja zakona i njihove implementacije, a prije svega usklađivanja Ustava sa Evropskom konvencijom o ljudskim pravima i temeljnim slobodama. Međunarodna zajednica iz godine u godinu podstiče reforme, posebno na polju zakonodavstva i pravosuđa i daje jednoglasnu podršku evropskoj perspektivi Bosne i Hercegovine kao suverene i jedinstvene države. U tom cilju i Evropska komisija izrađuje godišnje izvještaje o napretku BiH. Izvještaj za 2012. godinu naznačio je mali napredak u uspostavljanju funkcionalnih i održivih institucija. U izvještaju je također naznačeno da „uspostava učinkovitog koordinacijskog mehanizma između različitih nivoa vlasti za prenošenje, primjenu i provedbu zakona EU tako da zemlja može govoriti jednim glasom o pitanjima EU, ostaje kao pitanje koje se mora riješiti“. Napredak Bosne i Hercegovine na putu evroatlantskih integracija označen je kao slab i u izvještaju koji je visoki predstavnik Valentin Inzko podnio Vijeću sigurnosti UN-a.

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Observations regarding the Working Version of the Draft Amendments to the Constitution with explanation (references of the Venice Commission) regarding the part pertaining to the judiciary

Zapažanja o Radnom tekstu amandmana na Ustav Republike Srbije sa obrazloženjima (referencama Venecijanske komisije) u delu koji se odnosi na sudstvo

Author(s): Dragana Boljević / Language(s): Serbian

Keywords: Serbia; Constitution; changes; draft amendments; judiciary; Venice commision; observations;

The Republic of Serbia has itself committed to amending of the Constitution as far back as 2013 by adoption of the National Judicial Reform Strategy, subsequently by adoption of the Action Plan for Chapter 23 on 23 April 2016 for the purpose of strengthening the independence of the judiciary. The Ministry of Justice has, mid 2017, initiated an informal consultative process, while not offering an official stance of the State regarding the future Constitutional solutions, and on 22 January 2018 published the Working Version of the Draft Amendments to the Constitution. The process itself was led with absence of a proper debate or even dealing with the topic of strengthening of the judiciary which was the reason for change of the Constitution, and included scorn, even threats to the participants, as well as to judges and public prosecutors in general, for which reason many associations decided not to participate in the verbal debate any longer. At a first glance, the proposed solutions correspond to the suggestions from the 2007 Opinion of the Venice Commission regarding the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia and recommendations of the European Union introduced into the Action Plan for the Chapter 23: the so-called probationary appointment of judges to a three-year mandate in the National Assembly is abolished, conditions for termination of office of a judge is raised to the Constitutional level, the High Judicial Council is entrusted with selection and termination of office of all judges and presidents of courts while from its composition, at least formally, the Minister of Justice and president of the Committee of the National Assembly for the Judiciary are removed. Working Version of the Amendments does not mention any of the numerous Opinions the Venice Commission gave regarding the legal acts of Serbia; it does not contain any or it does not contain adequate explanation; those provided however do not make reference to any international standards, but only to one of Venice Commissions’ reports from 2007, and to individual, taken out of context, parts of Opinions regarding legal acts of Armenia, Georgia, Albania, Montenegro, which do not contain general positions but are related to specific proposals of solutions in special socio-historical situations of particular countries with different legal traditions; from the provided reasons, one cannot see why a specific solution was proposed, out of many possibilities, and whether it is the most optimal solution for organization of the judiciary in the Republic of Serbia. In terms of content, the Ministry of Justice has neglected the Legal Analysis of the Constitutional frame in the Republic of Serbia from 2014, which has been accepted by the whole of the judiciary, and proposed contrary solutions instead. The Judicial power remains undefined and systemically unarranged, material guarantees of the independence of the judiciary are still lacking, as are the right of judges to professional gathering and their freedom of expression of opinion. The Amendments relocate the influence of the legislative and executive to the Judicial Academy (which by means of selection of attendees in fact substantially selects judges) and to the ruling political majority since they undermine the High Judicial Council and turn it into an instrument of the parliamentary majority, which is set to decide on all matters that are the most important for the judiciary. The current constitutional guarantees of the independence of the judiciary (by omitting the current prohibition of any political influence on judge in performing the judicial function, by providing the Minister with the authority to commence a disciplinary proceeding and a procedure of dismissal of a judge, and by introduction of judicial practice as a source of law), immovability of a judges (by allowing movability of a judge irrespective of their will in any situation of “reorganization of the judicial system”) are all being diminished while incompatibility of the judicial function with other functions or jobs is defined broadly and imprecisely (incompatibility with a “private” function will allow for prohibition of professional gathering of judges). All in all, the proposed solutions do not remove, but increase the scope for political influence to the judiciary.

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Critical consideration of the Working text of the Constitutional amendemnts presented by the Ministry of Justice; (disordered interpretation of international documents)

Kritičko razmatranje Radnog teksta amandmana Ministarstva pravde na Ustav Republike Srbije (stranputice u tumačenju međunarodnih dokumenata)

Author(s): Goran P. Ilić / Language(s): Serbian

Keywords: Serbia; Constitution; amendemnts; working text; Ministry of Justice; critical considerations;

The working text of the Amendment of Ministry of Justice on Consitution of the Republic of Serbia is critically considered by taking into account the recommendations of Commission of Venice and Council of Europe. The author introduces the objections in the current debate on the Constitutional Law, notably the necessity of including the public more extensively. The author then analyzes the proposed amendments regarding the election of Council members and Supreme Public Prosecutor. In the second section, the author critically considered jurisdiction in organizing the public prosecutor's office. The third section focues on jurisdiction and organization of High Council of Prosecutors. The general conclusion is that international documents are only partially considered by the authors of the Working text. Partial arguments and sentences out of context are taken into consideration in order to favor the understanding that prosecutors office should be a strict, centralized system, under the control of politics. Authors of amendments have not taken into account neither the new process roles of the prosecutor's office nor the fact that prosecutors office has been given jurisdiction in the procedure that used to belong to the courts, all of which require the organization of the prosecutor office primarily as an independent institution.

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Changes in the Position of Higher Education Institutions and Perspectives of University Autonomy in the Republic of Serbia According to the New Law on Higher Education

Promene u položaju visokoškolskih ustanova i perspektive univerzitetske autonomije u Republici Srbiji prema novom Zakonu o visokom obrazovanju

Author(s): Vladimir Mikić / Language(s): Serbian

Keywords: Serbia; higher education; University; autonomy; Ministry of Education; changes;

The article provides a critical review of the new Law on Higher Education of the Republic of Serbia, primarily in its parts that relate to university autonomy. Instead of providing precise criteria for assessing the higher education institutions' quality assurance and for placing sharp curbs on any further proliferation of disproportionately small and education-wise ill-conceived universities, it appears that the Law's most important purpose rests in amassing almost an excessive amount of power in the hands of the responsible ministry, i.e. the government. Visibility of this approach comes primarily – but not solely – from reading the Law's norms that deal with regulatory bodies' and university authorities' newly-created structure, and their responsibilities, at the center of which comes the political power of the country. Although the Law gets some things right, it does not place deserved emphasis on protection of university autonomy. Rather, it typically takes away certain important features of this constitutionally enshrined principle, which puts the whole higher education legislative enterprise into a politically assertive, and therefore inadmissible, perspective.

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