Conference "Digital by default – Optimisation of efficiency and quality of judicial services and transparency of judicial decisions in Croatia"

The conference “Digital by default – Optimisation of efficiency and quality of judicial services and transparency of judicial decisions in Croatia” was held on Wednesday 12 October at Hotel Esplanade, Zagreb.

"Digital tools are no longer a mere possibility, but a standard. The Ministry of Justice and Public Administration has been implementing changes in three directions: legislative, organisational and development direction. Digitalisation of the judiciary is part of the development changes aimed at increasing the efficiency and transparency of the judiciary. This project represents an added value to our justice system as it will propose an IT solution for the publication of all court decisions", said Minister of Justice and Public Administration Ivan Malenica.

The Minister reminded that over HRK 2 billion had been invested in the field of judicial digitalisation in recent years.

"This year, we introduced the e-Communication system into administrative justice, and with the latest amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act into criminal justice, too. This has enabled better quality, more efficient and faster communication in court proceedings. An important step forward will be the introduction of sound recording, in accordance with the latest amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act and the Civil Procedure Act. Introduction of sound recording will change the current system of keeping written records because the technology will enable the recording of entire proceedings. This will undoubtedly lead to an acceleration of the process and efficiency gains", he pointed out.

Online publication of court decisions, in accordance with national law and European Union standards as well as international human rights standards will increase the transparency and consistency of court decisions in Croatia and ultimately increase public confidence in the judiciary.
The European Commission pays great attention to these topics. With this project, the European Commission aims to reap the benefits of digital technology while minimising the risks involved and ensuring that technology remains human-centred, utilised for a more transparent and efficient judiciary, the Commission representatives highlighted at the event.

The project "Digital by default" is co-financed by funds from the Technical Support Instrument (TSI) and the Council of Europe, and is being implemented in cooperation with the Council of Europe and Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support (DG REFORM) of the European Commission.

The project aims to develop a methodology and define a specification for the development of an IT solution for the anonymisation and publication of court decisions, and to increase the number of users of the e-Communication system.

The project will help provide more efficient and transparent services to the end-users of the justice system by introducing a new set of IT tools that will optimise the way judicial decisions are anonymised and published, in accordance with national and EU standards as well as international human rights standards.