CROATIAN JUSTICE MINISTER: INCREASE JUDGES' SALARIES

ZAGREB, Nov 6 (Hina) - The Croatian National Sabor's Lower House on Friday opened a discussion on the situation in the judiciary. Suggested measures to resolve the issues of inefficiency in the judiciary and to decrease the number of unresolved matters currently open in the courts was presented within a report on the situation in the judiciary presented by Justice Minister Milan Ramljak. Ramljak said that the question of increasing salaries for judges can no longer be postponed because this was extremely important to the independence of the judiciary. It is also important to complete the nomination of judges and to increase the number of legal advisors, increase discipline and most particularly to determine deadlines for individual matters to be brought to trial, he said. Ramljak believes that the establishment of an appeals court would not resolve the current problems in the judiciary nor is their any justification for this move. The evaluations and attitudes of the Sabor's Justice Committee were presented by MP Bosiljko Misetic (representative of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ). "The state of the judiciary is not ideal but at the same time it is not catastrophic either", Misetic said. We need to consider the judiciary within the circumstances which Croatia was faced with, reminding that de facto, the country was only this year completely reintegrated. Misetic considers that one of the most pressing duties of the judiciary is to put in order the Register of Land Titles. He informed that since Croatia's independence and with the sale of state-owned apartments, over 300,000 matters were submitted for registration in the Land Titles Register. The introduction of shifts in the courts, according to Misetic, would not contribute to greater efficiency. Shifts could be applied to Land Titles offices and executive branches but not in the courts said Misetic. (Hina) sp jn