Croatia makes progress with the digital transformation of commercial courts

At the Closing Conference for the project “Paperless Commercial Courts in Croatia”, held in Zagreb on 16 January, key project results and progress in the digitalisation of commercial courts were presented, with a particular focus on the transitional phase towards fully paperless workflows 

Commercial courts are leading this transformation by switching to paperless case files, which is expected to have a positive impact on the length of proceedings in commercial court cases.

The Closing Conference brought together Ivan Crnčec, State Secretary at the Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation, Damir Kontrec, President of the Civil Law Department of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia, Ivica Omazić, President of the High Commercial Court of the Republic of Croatia, Kjartan Bjornsson, Head of Unit at the European Commission, Hanne Juncker, Director at the Directorate of Security, Integrity and Rule of Law of the Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law of the Council of Europe, as well as the presidents of commercial courts across the country. The event further gathered members of the business and IT communities, the Croatian Bar Association, the Croatian Association of Court Experts and Appraisers, the Croatian Association of Court Interpreters and Translators, the Croatian Notaries Chamber and other key stakeholders involved in court proceedings.

The conference was an opportunity to discuss the next steps and reflect on the challenges and opportunities in the transition to a fully digital system at the Commercial Courts in Croatia. Partners renewed their commitment to work together to advance this reform and achieve the goal of a fully digital case flow.

Since its launch in August 2024, the project has worked closely with four pilot commercial courts—Zagreb, Varaždin, Dubrovnik, and Split. This cooperation has significantly enhanced the courts’ preparedness to roll out paperless workflows. The project adopted a three-pillar approach, analysing legislative, IT, and business-process aspects essential for enabling the transition to fully paperless commercial court operations.

The Project is co-funded by the European Union via the Technical Support Instrument, and implemented by the Council of Europe, in cooperation with the European Commission.

‘The digital transformation of courts is not an end in itself, but a tool to ensure faster and more accessible justice for citizens and businesses. This project clearly shows that modern justice can at the same time be efficient, transparent and fully compliant with European standards', said Ivan Crnčec, State Secretary at the Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation.

In his opening remarks, Kjartan Bjornsson, Head of Unit at the European Commission, stressed the following: ‘Our joint project has delivered a Methodology and a Roadmap with all the necessary elements to ensure a smooth transition to a fully digital case flow at the Croatian Commercial Courts. This will bring clear benefits for the Ministry, the courts, the businesses and citizens. This transformative shift will help streamline court processes, improve efficiency, and enhance access to justice in Croatia.’ 

In her opening remarks, Hanne Juncher (Director, Directorate of Security, Integrity and Rule of Law, Council of Europe) stated: ‘This joint EU-CoE Project has been a pivotal step forward for the digitalisation of the commercial courts in Croatia, all while safeguarding judicial independence and aligning technological advancement with the requirements of human rights and the rule of law.’










 
 
 

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