Visit of Norwegian Courts Administration to the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration

Under the project "Reinforcing the system of court-annexed mediation system", co-financed under the NFM (Norwegian Financial Mechanism), a delegation of the Norwegian Courts Administration visited the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration from 5 to 7 September 2023.

On 5 September 2023, a Roundtable was organised at Plitvice Lakes on the topic “The Future of Court-Annexed Mediation in Croatia”. Members of the delegation from the Norwegian Courts Administration, judges from Novi Zagreb Municipal Court, Velika Gorica Municipal Court, Zagreb Municipal Civil Court and Zagreb Commercial Court, representatives of the Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts, Croatian Chamber of Commerce, Croatian Mediation Office, Croatian Mediation Association, Judicial Academy and Centre for Peaceful Dispute Resolution, lawyers and representatives of the Ministry of Justice and Administration participated. The round table discussion was focused on the mediation practices in Croatia and the Kingdom of Norway, possible solutions for increasing the number of cases resolved through court-annexed mediation and the future of mediation in Croatia. After the round table, the participants enjoyed a tourist tour of Plitvice Lakes, accompanied by a tourist guide. 

On 6 September 2023, a visit was organised to the Zagreb Municipal Civil Court, where the delegation visited the court premises and talked to the judges dealing with the mediation procedure. Afterwards, they visited the Croatian Mediation Association, where the delivery of mediation training within the framework of the project was discussed.

On 7 September, working meetings took place at the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration, where the project was discussed, including implemented and future activities, schedule of activities and deadlines for their implementation.

The delegation’s visit was assessed as eventful and inspiring, and overall as very successful, much like the entire project.