(Sarajevo, 4 December 2019) – A two-day workshop and round table on the topic of “Internal Reorganisation of Business Processes in Courts” ended today in Sarajevo, which was organised by the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HJPC BiH) and the Embassy of the Kingdom of Sweden in BiH. The said activities are implemented within the Improving Court Efficiency and Accountability of Judges and Prosecutors in BiH Project - Phase 2 (ICEA Project) funded by the Government of Sweden.

The reason to hold these events is to present the activities’ results in the reorganisation of business processes of the courts which were implemented in cooperation with the Swedish National Courts Administration, the district courts in Varberg, Malmö and Ystad and the pilot courts in BiH, the Basic Court in Bijeljina and the Municipal Court in Tuzla, as well as the District Commercial Court in Prijedor, the District Commercial Court in Trebinje, the Basic Court in Prijedor, the Basic Court in Trebinje, the Municipal Court in Bihac and the Municipal Court in Mostar.

Three years ago, within the ICEA Project, a cooperation between the courts in BiH and the Swedish National Courts Administration was established for the first time regarding the internal reorganisation of business processes and human resources in courts to achieve optimal conditions for faster and better execution of tasks and working processes in the courts.

In the first phase, efficiency in processing cases in the pilot courts, the Municipal Court in Tuzla and the Basic Court in Bijeljina was increased. The work of court trainees - volunteers in the first place has been improved with the aim of their professional development, through structured cooperation with judges. Thanks to the good performance results of the courts in Tuzla and Bijeljina, in the second phase, cooperation was extended to the other, above mentioned, pilot courts in BiH.

Internal reorganisation of business processes in courts has contributed to shorter proceedings, reduction of pending cases, reduction of court costs through more rational use of human resources. At the same time, it contributed to greater motivation of all court employees by allowing judges more time for quality preparation and processing of cases, relieving them of administrative work, and giving administrative / non-judicial staff greater responsibilities in their work.

The methodology of work and the internal organisation of the courts have been improved, the possibilities for reassignment of tasks and the role of trainees in the courts as a future professional staff were considered in terms of improving the quality of their training and strengthening of communication / cooperation with judges, while on the other side judges have been relieved of certain administrative tasks so they could dedicate their time to quality decision making. Effective human resource management, as well as the court proceedings itself, is one of the conditions for improving the citizen friendly judiciary.

Particular focus was placed on establishing cooperation with the relevant ministries of justice aimed at adopting legislative amendments, amendments to current job descriptions and the introduction of new staff categories in the courts so as to increase their accountability, independence and productivity at work.

Presentations at the workshop and roundtable were given by Mr Nedim Bukvić, program manager at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Sweden in BiH, Mr Selim Karamehić, member of the HJPC BiH, Mrs Ana Bilić Andrijanić, HJPC BiH representative and ICEA Project Manager and Mr Mats Sjosten, President of the District Court in Varbergs, while representatives of Swedish judicial institutions and the HJPC BiH, and the ministers of justice on state, entity and cantonal levels in BiH also participated as well as representatives of the courts, judges, trainees and administrative staff at the courts.

The following conclusions were adopted at the workshop and roundtable:

1. Implementation of new working methods in most target courts has resulted in increased productivity, efficiency and staff motivation.
2. Shortened case duration and reduction in number of pending cases, as well as improved quality can be explained by the fact that all court staff members are more adequately utilised.
3. A key factor to successful implementation is the commitment of the management and trust in trainees / volunteers and judge assistants.
4. A systematic and harmonised approach to training of non-judicial staff is required.
5. The classification of tasks based on their complexity, as well as uniform practice and uniform lists of delegated tasks and check-lists need to be introduced.

• Communication with the ministries of justice in relation with project activities should be coordinated with the HJPC and be based on positive experiences and results achieved by all courts.
• Insist on rationalising budget allocations in line with new working methods.
• Initiate legislative changes to allow for the introduction of a new category of staff and modify the job descriptions of existing staff.

Should you have any further enquiries please contact the Cabinet of the HJPC BiH Presidency by telephone on 033 707 570.

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