Judicial independence

BELGRADE - The Serbian government said on Friday Serbia's success in fulfilment of recommendations issued by the Council of Europe's anti-corruption watchdog GRECO was a result of engagement on strengthening rule of law and ensuring judicial independence following the adoption of constitutional amendments, a set of judicial and other laws and bylaws and procedures.

Slovenian judges and prosecutors will benefit from a substantial increase in their base pay under a deal reached with the government after the Constitutional Court found judge pay is so low it jeopardises judicial independence.

Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers Meeting, November 30, 2021. Photo: Council of Europe

"GRECO concluded that the very low level of compliance with the recommendations was 'globally unsatisfactory'," the report said.

Prime Minister of Montenegro, Zdravko Krivokapi, could decide on the election of the President of the Administrative Court at the session of the Judicial Council on February 25, several lawyers told Vijesti yesterday, while the Judicial Council did not provide an answer whether this could be disputable.

They remain concerned that, despite constant calls from the international community and the judiciary, no legal registration of land has been carried out, in accordance with the decision of the Constitutional Court from 2016, it is stated in the joint statement of the Quint countries.

Bled – A two-day Conference of Chief Justices of Central and Eastern Europe, which focussed on the independence of judiciary at the institutional level and the level of judges, concludes in Bled on Tuesday. Supreme Court president Damijan Florjančič said new situations challenging this were emerging all the time.

Lozan Panov, the outgoing president of the Supreme Court of Cassation, has accepted a proposal from the Justice for All Initiative to be nominated as a presidential candidate in the 14 November elections, the non-governmental, non-partisan association said on its website on Saturday.

In its second annual EU rule-of-law report released in Brussels on Tuesday, the European Commission looks at the independence and quality of Romania's judiciary, the fight against corruption, media pluralism and media freedom.

He made a guest appearance on TV Prva in the Morning program and added that he could not change anything because everyone would accuse him of interfering with the independence of the judiciary.

The independence of the judiciary is under threat in EU member states from Eastern Europe such as Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Romania, European Justice Commissioner Vera Yourova said, quoted by Associated Press.
 
She warned that this trend could undermine the credibility of the states of the Union.