On the first day of the bilateral screening, members of the Croatian negotiating team spoke about the state of affairs in the Croatian judiciary, with emphasis on autonomy, efficiency and judicial reform.
On Wednesday, when the screening procedure is to be completed, Croatian representatives will continue with presentations on human rights, procedural guarantees, minority and cultural rights, and the protection of EU citizens' personal data and rights.
The head of the task force in charge of this policy chapter, Snjezana Bagic, said that the European Commission expected Croatia to establish objective criteria for the appointment of judges and a system for the training of judges, as well as economise court work.
Croatia has the highest number of judges per capita in Europe, but it also has the highest number of unsolved court cases, Bagic said.
The EC expects Croatia to fight corruption, especially at higher levels of authority, more efficiently.
The judiciary and fundamental rights chapter is the closest to what is considered the political criteria for EU membership, because it is the closest to the protection of human rights.
The acquis communautaire in this policy chapter is not very extensive, but it is very dynamic and changes frequently.
In the judiciary, the EU insists on respect for four principles - autonomy, objectivity, professionalism and efficiency.