The perceived independence of the Croatian judiciary remains low, and the length of trials undermines the efficiency of the anti-corruption system, the European Commission warned in its annual report on the rule of law in EU member-states in 2022, even though it also notes some positive steps. Pročitaj više

In the report on Croatia, the EC says that “the level of remuneration of judges, state prosecutors and judicial staff is being addressed, although concerns remain.”

The SDLSN union of civil servants on 5 June launched a strike of staff at courts and prosecutors’ offices, seeking a €400 pay rise and regulation of collective bargaining for those employees. Meanwhile, several unsuccessful meetings between SDLSN unionists and Justice and Public Administration Minister Ivan Malenica were held.

The EC says that in Croatia, “the effective investigation of high-level corruption continued, and the overall number of indictments and judgments increased.”

However, “the length of proceedings to investigate, prosecute and adjudicate corruption offences continues to undermine the effectiveness of the anti-corruption system; legislation to shorten this has yet to be introduced.”

The EC welcomes an increase in the resources of the Commission for the Resolution of Conflicts of Interest to match its tasks, although difficulties with the verification of assets remain. Codes of Conduct were adopted for members of Parliament and almost all local and regional administrations have introduced them too, the EC says.

It notes positive developments in the judiciary, as “following last year’s recommendations, periodic security checks on all judges were removed by way of a Constitutional Court decision and those on all state attorneys are envisaged to be removed by amendments being prepared.”

“Public communication about the work of the judiciary could be improved, as also recommended by the People’s Ombudsperson. The level of perceived judicial independence remains very low. The justice system further extended electronic communication tools and decreased backlogs, but significant efficiency and quality issues remain,” the report warns.

SLAPPs

The EC says that “the legal framework provides safeguards for media pluralism and freedom as well as the freedom of expression and the right to information.” As regards the latter, even though the legislation on the general access to information and public documents has been revised, in some cases delays remain an issue in practice.

“Concerns about the political independence of the Council for Electronic Media and the public service broadcaster HRT from the parliamentary majority persist,” it says, noting that “only some steps have been made on the issue of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP) targeting journalists, which remain a significant concern impacting the professional environment for journalists.”

The Croatian Journalists Association (HND) in 2022 presented the findings of a survey showing that at least 951 lawsuits against media outlets and journalists for damage caused to one’s reputation and honour were active, with plaintiffs seeking close to €10,27 million (77.4 million kuna) in damages.

The EC also welcomed the fact that the number of public consultations increased significantly but criticised Croatia for not making progress on the preparation of the new National Plan for Creating an Enabling Environment for the Civil Society Development 2021-2027.