The creation of the first regional judicial ICT hub in Sarajevo discussed

Sarajevo, 13 June 2023 – The High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HJPC BiH) has organised the first two-day meeting of the regional initiative for cooperation in the field of information and communication technologies to discuss the creation of the first regional judicial ICT hub in Sarajevo. The meeting marked the beginning of a new chapter in the implementation of the activities outlined in the Memorandum on Technical Cooperation signed in December 2022 by the Federal Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Austria and the HJPC BiH.

“The establishment of an ICT hub in Sarajevo is a regional idea that should contribute to the improvement of efficiency of justice as well as to the quality of mutual communication. The implementation of this idea opens the possibility for implementing bilateral and multilateral projects in the judiciary using the most modern technological achievements," said Mr Halil Lagumdzija, President of the HJPC BiH.

The participating institutions expressed their full commitment to this kind of cooperation, while focusing their efforts to create solutions that will help improve the quality of justice in Southeast Europe through exchange of experience and good practices from the region.

"Today's meeting is very important since we are discussing regional cooperation in Southeast Europe, which is also very relevant in the context of the European integration process. Through our joint effort, we seek to increase the performance of the judicial system and provide our colleagues from very dynamic reform regions with an opportunity to cooperate, where their cooperation in the field of digitization will be based on common interests," said Mr Georg Stawa, Counsellor for Southeast Europe and representative of the Federal Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Austria. He added that in order to increase public trust, the judiciary must present its work to citizens and the wider public, and inform the international partners of its future plans and gain political support for that.

Since 2004, in cooperation with other international partners, the European Union has supported the development of ICT, enabling the development of the Case Management System, the judicial web portal, the e-Court mobile application, the video-conferencing system, the database of court decisions, the Reporting and Decision-Making Support System (SIPO), the Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS), an interactive War Crimes Case Map, modern Judicial Information System (JIS), primary and secondary data centre in Sarajevo, regional data centres in Banja Luka, Tuzla and Mostar, national wide area networks (WAN) and local area networks (LAN). Additionally, it has provided judicial institutions with the necessary tools and ICT support by hiring more than 120 ICT experts to work in the courts.

“Digital transformation is a way to provide citizens with better services and is a part of reforms in all sectors on BiH's EU path, including judiciary. Digital transformation has immense potential in various sectors, including the economy, governance, and the daily lives of its citizens. One of the key pillars of the EU's digitalization efforts is the improvement of digital connectivity” said Mr Enrico Vinsentin, Programme Manager in the EU Delegation to BiH.

Mr Admir Suljagic, the Director of the HJPC Secretariat, added to the President's remarks that the HJPC BiH is working to find ways to improve the efficiency and productivity of the judiciary with the assistance of friends from the European Union and the Republic of Austria. He emphasized that the creation of an ICT hub in Sarajevo might be the key to improving the performance of the judiciary in BiH and in the region.

Other topics that represent the starting point for future regional cooperation were also discussed on this occasion, including the use of the CMS, information sharing for future bilateral projects, possible legal assistance in civil matters, anonymization of cases that are relevant for case law and other.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the HJPC BiH, Mr Georg Stawa, Counsellor for Southeast Europe and representative of the Federal Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Austria, Mr Enrico Visentin, Programme Manager in the EU Delegation to BiH, Mr Shkelzen Maliqi, Executive Director of the Kosovo Judicial Council Secretariat, Mr Fatmir Rexhepi, Director of IT Department in the Kosovo Judicial Council, Ms Naureda Llagami, President of the Albania Judicial Council, Mr Darko Draskovic, Head of the ICT and Multimedia Department in the Secretariat of the Judicial Council of Montenegro, Ms Maria Juliana Civinini, Chair of the CEPEJ-CYBERJUST Working Group, Ms Anastasia Nohovitsyna, CEPEJ Project Coordinator and Mr Dzemal Hadzic, representative of the BiH Ministry of Justice.