The Minister outlined the broader context of the reform that changes the previous model of entering judicial duties, stressing that under the current system, the condition for the first appointment, in addition to having previously graduated from a law faculty and passed the bar exam, was the final exam at the State School for Judicial Officials.
‘In 2024, a total of 1,660 judges were registered, of which 105 between 30 and 40 years old, while as many as 570 judges were between 60 and 70 years of age. Observed with a 10-year lag, there was a much higher increase in the older age group than in the 30-40 age group, which was a clear signal for the need for change’, said the Minister.
The proposed amendments aim to achieve a faster entry into judicial duties, while fully retaining key elements such as objectivity, transparency and efficiency of procedures.
Under the new model, in the procedure of appointment of first-instance judges, all candidates will primarily be evaluated based on the success achieved in the bar exam.
In addition, account will be taken of the additional appraisal of their performance as advisers in judicial bodies, that is, the performance of judicial duties for candidates with previous appointments, as well as the success achieved in a special written test before the competent council.
In addition to the appointment criteria, amendments to the Act on the State Judicial Council and the Act on the State Attorneys’ Council also entail some operational improvements.
Rules on the service of invitations and decisions in appointment procedures for judges and state attorneys are amended, and a rule on the presumed withdrawal of application introduced. According to this rule, if a candidate does not respond at certain stages of the procedure, he/she will be deemed to have withdrawn the application, which is intended to speed up the stage of the procedure which has sometimes taken an unreasonably long time.
As regards the Act on the Judicial Academy, the State School for Judicial Officials continues to operate as its organisational unit, but with a redesigned role. It remains a key point for the lifelong learning and professional development of judicial officials, which is particularly important as much of the new legislation stems from the EU acquis.
Minister Habijan concluded that the professional development of judicial officials in the context of their work in the judicial bodies was extremely important, which would also be the main emphasis of the further development of the State School.