Question Time: Figures clearly show that justice is being relieved, gradually and systematically

Minister of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation Damir Habijan answered a parliamentary question regarding the novelties and situation in the justice system

Duration of court proceedings and progress in civil and commercial cases

‘Croatia, as a country with the population of around 3.9 million, has been registering between 1,250,000 and 1,300,000 new court cases per year for decades. This data needs to be considered in relation to the number of judges and other judicial officials, including prosecutors working in the judicial authorities of the Republic of Croatia’, said Minister Habijan.

In 2014, the year of Croatia's accession to the European Union, almost one million unresolved cases were registered.

By the end of 2024, this number was 445,000 and at 31 December 2025, 435,000, which represents a decrease of 3 percent in one year.

At the same time, the clearance rate is above 100, meaning that courts handle more cases than they receive.

‘The average duration of all court proceedings today is 126 days. When it comes to civil and commercial cases, which are most often the focus of the public, the average duration of proceedings has decreased from 655 days in 2020 to 480 days today’, added the Minister.

Digitalisation of court proceedings and availability of court decisions

One of the key elements of judicial reform is digitalisation. The ANON system, which enables the anonymisation and public disclosure of court decisions, has resulted in the publication of almost 500,000 first and second instance decisions in just a year.

‘The "Paperless Commercial Courts" project will be implemented in four commercial courts, with the aim of fully digitalising proceedings before commercial courts. A particularly important element of digitalisation is the introduction of sound recording of court hearings’, the Minister said.

Legal changes and introduction of technology in courtrooms

‘The Civil Procedure Act and the Criminal Procedure Code have provided for additional changes, with full application from 1 July 2027. Nevertheless, modern technology is already being introduced in 1,500 courtrooms across Croatia, in all courts’, the Minister added.

The age structure of judges and the need to adapt the system

One of the key challenges of the justice system concerns the age structure of judges. Of the 1,670 judges, only two are under the age of 30, while 696 are between the ages of 60 and 70. This data points to the need to adapt the model of entry into judicial office.

‘The National School for Judicial Officials retains an important role, but its additional focus on continuous professional development and training is being considered, with some changes to the conditions for entry into the justice system’, added the Minister.

Strengthening staffing capacities in the State Attorney’s Office

‘In terms of personnel policy, we continue to expand the systematisation and implement the recruitment plan. In the last two years, additional 114 deputy state attorneys have been employed, at the county and municipal levels’, the Minister said.

Development of judicial infrastructure and large-scale investment projects

Finally, the Minister pointed out that the largest infrastructure project in the judiciary to date, worth EUR 149 million, was underway - the “Justice in Zagreb” project, and that the design of new judicial facilities in Rijeka, Velika Gorica, as well as a number of other infrastructure projects throughout the Republic of Croatia, are about to begin.

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