06/07/2023
The second phase of the European project EU4JUSTICE, which will accompany Bosnian justice institutions in improving their capacities and aligning them with European standards, has been launched in Sarajevo
The EU Ambassador to BiH at the presentation of the project
Bosnia and Herzegovina presents numerous challenges in the areas of democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights. In addition, the country is also affected by transnational crimes and challenges linked to organised crime and corruption. These security challenges require increased cooperation between the various justice sector agencies, as well as close coordination with key international actors and donors present in the country.
In order to address these challenges in the country, the second part of the European EU4JUSTICE project was launched in Sarajevo at an event attended by, among others, the director of Expertise France, Jerome Pellet, the EU Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Johann Sattler, and the President of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of BiH (HJPC), Halil Lagumdžija.
The first phase concluded with a final report to the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC), the main beneficiary institution, recognising the need to improve its capacity in terms of the quality, independence and accountability of its work. The HJPC has been a key player in the development of the fiche for this second phase and the project’s objectives are aligned with its priorities.
Beyond the specific objective, the project’s overall objective is to align BiH’s judicial system with European standards by strengthening the rule of law, in particular by improving the independence, quality, effectiveness, accountability and efficiency of the judicial sector and its performance in the fight against corruption and organised crime.
BiH is expected to meet EU justice standards as part of its application for EU membership, but its complex and fragmented institutional structure has led to a weak justice system. The project will carry out specific activities together with national beneficiary institutions in the justice sector to contribute to the improvement of their competencies, work processes and tools in line with European standards.
