The key to the judiciary reform is our willingness and desire to change for the better by mustering courage to admit that we have a number of faults and to show serious willingness and sincere desire to change, and to correct bad habits, said the Minister of Justice, Nikola Selaković, at an opening ceremony of the Annual Conference of Judges of the Republic of Serbia "Judges' Days 2014", held from 5th to 7th October in Vrnjačka Banja.
Selaković pointed out that one of key joint tasks of Ministry of Justice and Supreme Court of Cessation is to improve the information and communication technology and establish e-Justice. He also added that this requires that holders of judicial functions, judicial assistants and administrative staff master additional skills.
"With regard to introduction of a program budget and transfer of complete budgetary competences to the High Judicial Council, these processes will, in addition to professional training in the field of finance, analytic and strategic planning, require a considerably higher level of financial discipline of courts and judges, therefore, one of priority tasks is to promote collection of court fees", said Selaković.
Selaković emphasises that continuous professional training is one of important preconditions for promoting judges, particularly in a situation when it is clear that not everyone is ready to adapt to changes and when there is often "silent resistance" of judges in the moments when it is necessary to master and apply new legal solutions.
The Minister of Justice underlined that the Ministry will make maximum efforts to leave a reasonably long time limit for training and adaptation to new legal concepts before implementation of the laws that introduce these changes.
"Those who do not want changes and continuous professional development have no right to hinder those who want to work on themselves for the benefit of the citizens and for their own good, as well as for the benefit of the society and the country as a whole, because such an action is not only a matter of the Constitution and the law alone, but also of professional ethics, personal morality and a sense of responsibility of every individual for the fate of the country and generations to come", concluded Selaković.
In addition to Minister Selaković, the Conference of Judges was also attended by the President of the Supreme Court of Cessation and High Judicial Council, Dragomir Milojević, as well as by around 1,000 judges, prosecutors, lawyers from Serbia and guests from abroad.