Through legislative and organizational changes, with the support we have from the European Union and member states, we can restore trust in the judiciary, improve transparency, quality of work, professionalism, independence, integrity and responsibility of judges and prosecutors, which is the common goal of all of us in Bosnia and Herzegovina, said BiH Minister of Justice, Davor Bunoza, in an interview with FENA.
Speaking about the Justice Sector Reform Strategy, in the first interview after assuming office, Minister Bunoza reminds that the working group for creating the Strategy and the Action Plan for its implementation was established two years ago.
“I am aware that certain activities were undertaken that resulted in drafting acts necessary for creating the Strategy. However, due to certain problems beyond the control of the Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the complex and complicated political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Justice Sector Reform Strategy in Bosnia and Herzegovina has not yet been completed. As a priority, I plan to hold meetings with my colleagues in the upcoming period, first of all with the RS Minister of Justice and the FBiH Minister of Justice, all to remove the deadlocks and agree on the continuation of activities to create a preliminary draft of the Justice Sector Reform Strategy and the Action Plan,” said Minister Bunoza.
He points out that his commitment to the European path, which has no alternative, was also shown through the first talks he held after his appointment with the EU Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Head of the EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Johann Sattler, and with the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt.
“I am very well aware of the responsibility and ‘burden’ that is on the Ministry of Justice due to its indispensable role in further progress, therefore I have a plan for the first steps and activities. We also know that due to the specific structure and organization of BiH authorities, this plan must be subject to amendments and redefinition. I believe that progress is visible now in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is especially reflected in obtaining candidate status and represents a special incentive for all actors whose common goal is to fulfill the priorities set before us by the European Commission. I expect we will meet the set goals, achieve success and get closer to European standards because we are aware of the shortcomings and should strive to implement the goals only through hard work,” emphasized Minister Bunoza.
As for the lawyer’s experience, he reminds that often ministers of justice in other countries come from the legal profession. He believes that lawyers, judges, prosecutors, and attorneys “know best how positive it is when we have a quality law that is applied in practice, and how bad it is when we have a well-written law that cannot be implemented in practice”.
“I hope that through my own experiences, together with my colleagues from the BiH Ministry of Justice, I will contribute to ensuring that draft laws and regulations are harmonized with EU directives and the EU legal acquis, as well as to be implemented in practice,” Minister Bunoza said in an interview with FENA.
Immediately before he was appointed a minister, some accusations appeared in the media related to the alleged falsification of certain documents while he was working as a lawyer.
“As the Minister of Justice, I would not like to comment on individual cases in which I was an attorney. I can only say that in my legal career, which has lasted almost 18 years, I have never falsified a single act of any institution, nor have I used them knowing or at least suspecting that they are improper acts,” stated BiH Minister of Justice Davor Bunoza.
Photo: Fena
