ZAGREB, Feb 6 (Hina) - Croatia and Finland will soon sign an agreement on the implementation of the CARDS 2002 project aimed at improving the functioning of Croatian courts, the Croatian Justice Ministry said in a statement on Friday
following a meeting between Justice Minister Vesna Skare Ozbolt and the Finnish Ambassador to Croatia, Ilpo Manninen.
ZAGREB, Feb 6 (Hina) - Croatia and Finland will soon sign an agreement
on the implementation of the CARDS 2002 project aimed at improving the
functioning of Croatian courts, the Croatian Justice Ministry said in
a statement on Friday following a meeting between Justice Minister
Vesna Skare Ozbolt and the Finnish Ambassador to Croatia, Ilpo
Manninen.#L#
The purpose of the EUR4 million project, entitled "Improving the
system of court management and conduct of cases at selected courts in
Croatia", is to create "an independent, responsible and efficient
judiciary", the statement said.
The statement added that concrete steps would be taken in the areas of
court management and organisation, conduct of court proceedings and
computerisation of courts.
Finland, as a partner country in the implementation of the project,
has successfully implemented its judicial reform, and its experience
will be used to significantly reduce court backlogs and expedite court
proceedings in Croatia.
Skare Ozbolt reaffirmed Croatia's readiness to fully cooperate with
the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague and successfully implement
judicial reform, particularly by reorganising courts, expediting court
proceedings and ensuring additional professional training for judges.
Also on Friday, Skare Ozbolt separately received the Swiss Ambassador
to Croatia, Dr Marcus Kaiser.
Kaiser said that his country would continue supporting Croatia in its
efforts to join the European Union through the Stabilisation and
Association process and bilateral cooperation in reconstruction and
development projects, the statement said.
(Hina) vm