The Senior Deputy High Representative, Ambassador Matthias Sonn, and the Director of the Independent Judicial Commission, Judge Rakel Surlien, call for the urgent adoption of the Amendments to the Law on Judicial and Prosecutorial Service in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina by the Federation House of Peoples on Monday July 30th.

On July 16th the Prime Minister of the Federation, Alija Behmen, the Federation Minister of Justice, Mijan Zovko, the Chair of the House of Peoples, Ivo Komsic, and Acting Chair of the House of Representatives, Ivan Brigic, expressed their support for the adoption of the Amendments to the Law, acknowledging that this legislative reform is urgently required to further depoliticize the process of selection and appointment of Judges and Prosecutors in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The urgent adoption of the Amendments to the Law on Judicial and Prosecutorial Service in the FBiH will address the ongoing problem with certain executive authorities within the Federation who refuse to act within the established legal framework of the Entity, by failing to appoint Judges and Prosecutors. The Judicial and Prosecutorial appointment process will be improved to ensure that appointments are conducted according to objective and transparent criteria and are based on proper professional qualifications and procedures. Both are indispensable if the Rule of Law is to be established uniformly across the Federation.

The process of Judicial Reform and the establishment of a truly independent and impartial Judiciary in the FBiH are ongoing. It is expected that the House of Peoples of the FBiH Parliament recognizes the problems inherent within the process and positively counteract them by urgently adopting the Amendments on July 30th.