Judiciary

The increasingly sophisticated corruption practices and methods result in higher demands on qualification of police officers, public prosecutors and judges. At the same time, we miss relevant judicature that would be able to describe new problems and differentiate between legal and illegal practices. Presently, one of the most pressing issues is the protection of the independence of the Czech judiciary, both at the level of public prosecution service and at the level of courts. The question of independence was described and discussed in the report Česká justice – otázka správy a nezávislosti published by TIC in August 2010.

For the necessary reforms to gain general support, it is fundamental to reach agreement across the political spectre and expert public. TIC therefore intends to further initiate public discussion on the situation in the Czech judicial system and create an appropriate platform for such discussion, where the legislators could meet with both the general public and experts. This need determines what further activities the project will include. In the autumn of 2011, TIC plans to organise a forum for the representatives of the judiciary (judges and public prosecutors), legislators and representatives of the Justice Ministry, to discuss the progress of the justice reforms and to assess the development in this area. The discussion forum will be followed by a roundtable of experts, including participants from the countries that have some experience with judicial independence and self-governance, and specialisation of the courts (Slovakia, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Croatia, and Romania).