|
|
|
|
|
The third and final meeting of the Interim Coordinating Board for the Training of Judges and Prosecutors concluded in Neum yesterday. Important steps were taken towards the setting up of Training Institutes in the Repulika Srpska and Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Draft laws will shortly be finalised for presentation to the respective Parliaments of the Entities by the Entity Ministeries of Justice. The progress at Neum represents a positive step towards the accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Council of Europe. The Neum Conference also welcomed the proposed Council of Europe human rights training programme for judges and prosecutors. Deputy BiH Ombudsperson, Sanela Paripovic, has been appointed programme manager, and the training shall be carried out under the Inter-Entity Training Coordination Board, a programme funded to date by the US State Department. The Presidents of the Courts, Chief Prosecutors, and Ministry of Justice officials from both Entities attended the Neum conference. The Conference was organised by the inter-Entity Training Coordinating Board, which includes the Presidents of the Constitutional and Supreme Courts, the Chief Prosecutors and other judges, prosecutors and Justice Ministry representatives from the two Entities. The Neum conference, held between the 2nd and 4th of May was organised with support from the Council of Europe and the Office of the High Representative. Experts in the training of Judges and Prosecutors from the Netherlands, Spain and United Kingdom also participated in the Conference. The Office of the High Representative and the Council of Europe welcome the encouraging progress seen in this field. Judicial reform is one of the preconditions for BiH's entry into the Council of Europe and a professional and independent judiciary is a key requirement for any modern democracy.
|