It is vital for Bosnia and Herzegovina to have an independent judiciary, as well as media that will report impartially, for which it is necessary to provide adequate funding, is one of the conclusions of the second day of the “EU Western Balkans” Ministerial Forum dedicated to the judiciary.
Minister of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina Davor Bunoza stated at a press conference that this forum was concluded without objections and that the topics were focused on BiH’s European path, the fight against corruption, the rule of law, electoral integrity and hate speech.
“We exchanged experiences with colleagues from the Western Balkans. I am pleased that BiH is getting closer to the countries of the region in terms of implementing reforms,” said Bunoza.
He emphasized that it is very important for BiH on its European path that the laws on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) and the Court of BiH are adopted by the end of the year, but that he is not too optimistic that this will actually happen.
Danish Justice Minister Peter Humelgard has stressed that the fight against corruption and organised crime is one of his country’s top priorities.
“Organised crime undermines public trust and destroys the institutions of society. When institutions are held accountable, citizens’ trust is also undermined,” Humelgard said.
He said the participants discussed ways to improve judicial systems and cooperation between institutions in different countries, as well as protecting democracy and fundamental rights.
“Across Europe, we are witnessing attempts to interfere in elections, not only to influence the results, but also to undermine democracy. We discussed how to improve the resilience of societies and prevent such incidents in practice,” the Danish minister added.
European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection Michael Denis McGrath said that today’s meeting was an opportunity to jointly identify challenges, strengthen cooperation and exchange best practices across the region.
“Next month, the annual enlargement report for the six Western Balkan partners, Moldova, Ukraine and Turkey, will be adopted. Today’s topics are of key importance for the EU accession process,” McGrath said.
He stressed that the independence of the judiciary is the foundation of the rule of law, and that the fight against corruption, transparency and fairness of the electoral process are essential for democratic development and the European integration process.
“We face a number of new challenges and threats, including disinformation and foreign manipulation that seek to undermine citizens’ trust and interfere in electoral processes,” McGrath said, adding that the new European Democratic Shield will improve the resilience of democracies and public trust.
He stressed that the meeting also discussed the fight against racism, xenophobia and hate speech, which threaten human dignity, freedom and equality – the fundamental values of the EU.
The “EU – Western Balkans” Ministerial Forum in Sarajevo was organized by the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU in cooperation with the Ministries of Security and Justice of BiH.
Photo: BHRT
