ZAGREB, Jan 8 (Hina) - Croatia will soon take concrete measures to render its judiciary more credible and efficient, new Croatian Justice Minister Vesna Skare-Ozbolt said in an interview with Reuters on Thursday.
ZAGREB, Jan 8 (Hina) - Croatia will soon take concrete measures to
render its judiciary more credible and efficient, new Croatian Justice
Minister Vesna Skare-Ozbolt said in an interview with Reuters on
Thursday. #L#
"The reform of the judiciary is issue number one, needed to meet EU
criteria, attract foreign investment and boost the confidence of our
own citizens in our legal system," Skare-Ozbolt told the news agency.
The national judiciary "was burdened by a backlog of 1.5 million
cases, some dating back 20 years ago. The backlog is especially bad in
commercial courts, which can have a direct impact on investment
decisions," she said.
Asked about cooperation with the Hague-based UN war crimes tribunal
(ICTY), the minister said this issue "was losing its political
dimension in Croatia". "The Hague tribunal is no longer a big issue
among the people. We want it to be a legal and not a political issue,
and we want the cooperation to be absolutely good and correct," she
was quoted as saying.
Unlike in 2001 and 2002, when (ICTY) indictments against Croatians
caused popular protests, new indictments are not likely to stir any
revolt, she said. "Things have changed. The tribunal ranked very low
in the list of priorities in the election campaign. For most people
priorities are jobs, living standards and the rule of law," she
explained.
(Hina) ms