Second conference of the project “Reconstruction of the Municipal Court building in Split and promotion of e-services”

The second conference of the project “Reconstruction of the Municipal Court building in Split and promotion of e-services” was held at Hotel International today.

Opening addresses were given by Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to Croatia Arne Sannes Bjørnstad, Director-General of the Directorate for Strategic Planning and Coordination of Funds, Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds, Ms Iva Novak, and State Secretary at the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration Juro Martinović.

“If we strive for a modern and efficient judiciary accessible to citizens, we need work premises which enable judicial officials and civil servants to work in an efficient and quality manner”, State Secretary Martinović said at the beginning.

The project “Reconstruction of the Municipal Court building in Split and promotion of e-services” is co-financed under the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014-2021.

Reconstruction of the Municipal Court building in Split returns the court to the city centre

In Croatia, judicial authorities are located in buildings mainly located in city centres. However, these buildings were built at times when construction requirements were different, which was best seen after the earthquake that hit Petrinja and Zagreb in 2020.

“By reconstructing the Municipal Court building in Split, we are returning the court to the city centre, to the former Standa building, which will enable better working conditions, and in turn the speeding up of proceedings and better availability of legal protection for citizens”, said the State Secretary.

The court will be located in the building of the former Standa department store. The initial amount foreseen for the reconstruction of the building was 8 million euros, but due to changes in market prices as well as certain changes in the construction plan, the total value of this project is 12 million euros.

The next steps in the project include equipping of the building in December this year, relocation of the court in January 2024 and the final project conference in January 2024.

The Justice Square is entering the second phase of construction

“Apart from Split, the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration currently has several projects, the most important certainly being is the Zagreb Justice Square, which is also one of the most important projects within the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. Not only because of the investment size, but also because of the impact that the Justice Square will have on the Croatian economy and the lives of our fellow citizens", the State Secretary highlighted.

This is a project worth over 93 million euros.

The complex will accomodate four courts: Commercial Court, High Commercial Court, Administrative Court and High Administrative Court as well as the Judicial Academy and the Mediation Centre.

“These courts are extremely important for the economy - crucial to resolving citizens’ disputes that are important to their daily lives. That is why we see this project as a contribution to the improvement of the judiciary. The new buildings will not have a direct impact on speeding up court proceedings, but will contribute to making them more efficient - enabling the scheduling of hearings more frequently and improving the working conditions for judges and civil servants”, State Secretary added.

The removal of existing facilities in the Justice Square is now in the final stage, as a preparatory activity for the construction of the new complex, and the expected start of works is in February 2024.

Renovation of 20 judicial buildings underway

In addition to this project, the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration currently has 31 open construction sites - with works worth over 50 million euros. In the current investment cycle - by 2029 - it is planned to spend over 333 million euros from international projects and the state budget.

Through energy efficiency measures, 20 buildings of judicial bodies are currently being renovated, and archives are being built in Gospić. Due to damage caused by the earthquake, seven buildings in Sisak and Petrinja are being renovated as well as the buildings of the County Court, the Commercial Court, the State Attorney’s Office, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Justice Square and the Municipal Criminal Court in Zagreb, the last one being renovated for the first time since its construction in the 1970s.

“Once again, on behalf of the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration, I would like to thank the Kingdom of Norway and Ambassador Bjørnstad for recognising the importance of this project, as evidenced by the fact that the project has been included by the Donor in a larger communication campaign called #OurStories as an inspirational project, and a video has been made about it by the Financial Mechanism Office”, concluded the State Secretary.

Project Manager Karla Dragica Lipej and Secretary General of the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration Olga Plazibat presented on the course of the construction works.