Skopje, 27 October 2023 (MIA) - It is very important for a country to be able to protect its citizens and show that the justice system exists for them, to help them solve issues, because citizens that do not trust institutions will never seek them out, and they will feel unprotected or that their basic rights are not being respected, said Minister of Justice of Spain María Pilar Llop Cuenca on Friday.

When asked how that can be improved and the impact of citizens' distrust, Llop Cuenca at a joint press conference with European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders and Justice Minister Krenar Lloga, said that different systems and countries have different means and mechanisms.

"Part of those mechanisms include training judges and public prosecutors, transparency and equality for all. But the most important thing is to have well-trained, impartial and politically neutral judges. That increases trust. It is very important to apply responsibility, disciplinary measures and ethics to the persons that execute justice," Llop Cuenca said.

For efficiency of the entire system, she added, is also important to have and establish mechanisms for process management, digitalization and much greater efficiency during trials.

"The justice system must be quick, accessible and efficient for all citizens that live on the territory. It should be guaranteed that every person and place, no matter its place in the European system, has the same rights on the entire EU territory. This one cohesion ensures trust. It must be worked on, and the system must change," Llop Cuenca added.

"When we think about providing legal aid," she stressed, "we must focus on the citizens."

Regarding citizens' distrust of the judiciary and the level of seriousness of such an issue for a candidate country, European Commissioner Reynders, said that they are aware of the level of distrust citizens have in the judiciary in the region and that they are working on it in the reforms.

"It is true that it is not enough to pass new laws and legislations, and that it is necessary to ensure progress and improve the perception of the public, citizens and legal subjects in the legal system," Reynders emphasized.

He also added that it is important to have a judiciary, and that is why they insist on implementing OSCE's monitoring project on judiciary proceedings.

"You should try and build a greater level of trust among citizens and businesses and judiciary system. Of course, it is a difficult road to meet all criteria in the enlargement process. Starting with the rule of law. Therefore, the judiciary is perhaps the most important part of the entire process, because it is a guarantee of all the rights and values that we share in the EU, as partners," Reynders said.

According to him, there is much work to do in the future, and that they have bilateral discussions with various partners and are trying to improve independence and perception of independence in the judiciary system. ssh/sk/

Photo: MIA