Transparency and efficiency were the central themes during the presentation of the legal practice database of the administrative court, the court’s improved website, and its advanced tools for exploring case law. These improvements mark a significant step forward in the modernization of the judiciary in Serbia, ensuring better public access to legal decisions and fostering trust in the judicial process.
“As the effective control of any kind of administrative act by independent courts is one of the key elements of any legal system following the principles of rule of law, Germany provides support to improve the transparency and efficiency of the administrative court. Our goal is to ensure the access to administrative justice for all citizens, especially since the statistical report of the Supreme Court and EU progress report from 2023, indicates that the administrative court is the busiest court in the Republic of Serbia,” pointed out Mr. Carsten Meyer-Wiefhausen, Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Serbia in his welcome speech and congratulated the Court successful accomplishment of an extensive project. Additionally, he highlighted the role of the administrative court stressing that the rule of law goes far beyond the improvement of the administration of justice and that requires a free and democratic society in which court issues their judgements based on the laws discussed and voted upon by a democratically elected parliament. “In a democratic society judges and their decisions are respected for their independence even if these decisions run contrary to the wishes of very influential people in Government. That is why administrative jurisdiction is so important for a free and democratic society”, Mr. Meyer-Wiefhausen stressed.
Strengthening Rule of Law project and the OSCE Mission to Serbia supported the Court’s initiative on enhancing the Legal Practice Database, integrated into the Supreme Court’s framework, streamlining the selection, anonymization, and publication of Administrative Court decisions and thereby contribute to a more accessible and transparent work of the Court.
The Legal Practice Database is now available on the Administrative Court’s website and has more than 30.000 decisions that are available to all the interested parties, the public administration and other state organs, lawyers, and citizens, anybody who seeks protection of their rights before the Administrative Court and will contribute to the legal security and predictability of Court’s decisions.