"Apart from relieving the burden on courts and expediting the settlement of court cases through alternative ways, this would also make the judiciary more accessible by citizens," Justice Minister Ana Lovrin said.
Lovrin, Supreme Court president Branko Hrvatin and partners from Finland and the European Commission today presented the CARDS 2002 project "Support for More Efficient and Modern Performance of Croatian Courts".
Except for members of the public, the campaign is also intended for judicial officials so that they could more actively use possibilities for the out-of-court settlement of cases and inform their clients of the possibility of conciliation.
"The practice shows that those possibilities are not being used sufficiently and that the number of out-of-court settlements and conciliation cases could be higher," Lovrin said.
Out-of-court settlement is cheaper and faster and contributes to the creation of an atmosphere of tolerance and good relations among the parties concerned.
Hrvatin recalled that out-of-court settlement and conciliation were very successfully used in all EU countries. In Finland, which is a partner in this 26 million kuna project, around 35 percent of all disputes are solved this way.
Conciliation has been under way at the Zagreb Commercial Court since mid-March.