The Judicial Academy as conditio sine qua non for the Effectiveness and Efficiency of the Serbian Judiciary

Abstract:

The Serbian judiciary is inefficient, politically dependent, expensive, and placed in a perpetual reform cycle. This is why the reform of the Serbian judicial apparatus is set high on the European Accession negotiations agenda. Reasons for the underperformance of the judiciary are manifold, and, for the need of this study, I will try to associate them with two independent variables. The primary source of the crisis of the judiciary is reflected in the deficiencies of general legal education and expert training, as well as the outdated system of evaluation for prudence and skills of the holders of judicial functions. Secondary sources are derived from permanent endeavours of the executive powers, and other, more informal, sources of power that place the judiciary under their patronage. Precisely along these lines, are the European Commission’s demands that Serbia should establish a transparent and open method of entering into the judiciary through the process of selecting successful candidates. With this study, it is my goal to analyse the extent to which the newly established Serbian Judicial Academy is capable of remedying observable problems, and contributing to the establishment of a competent and efficient judicial apparatus. Normative and empirical scrutiny of the Judicial Academy is coupled by a set of practical recommendations aiming to further strengthen the position of this young institution, within the Serbian judicial system.