Increasing public access to justice was the focus on a seminar held in Sarajevo on 1 July. In the framework of the Structured Dialogue on Justice between the European Union and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the event was organised by the European Commission through its Technical Assistance and Information Exchange Instrument (TAIEX).
The aim of this seminar was to increase the understanding among the relevant BiH institutions and authorities of EU standards on access to justice with a particular focus on the right of free legal aid and care of court users, data protection issues and publication of court verdicts. As Henrik Villadsen, General Legal Counsel and Head of the Legal Office of the Delegation of the EU to BiH/EU Special Representative, pointed out in his introductory speech “Ensuring citizen’s access to justice is a fundamental human rights encompassed which is necessary in every democratic society”.
Several experts from EU Member States participated and presented relevant practices and standards. European Commission representatives presented the relevant EU acquis, with a specific focus on procedural rights in criminal matters.
The event was attend by representatives of the judiciary institutions and ministries of justice in Bosnia and Herzegovina, directors of free legal aid Agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, member of Personal Data Protection Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, representative of judges, prosecutor and bar associations from both entities and members of Ombudsman Office, NGOs, as well as representatives of the international community working in this sector.
