site.btaJustice Minister, Union of Bulgarian Jurists Head Comment on Judicial Authority Act Revisions

Justice Minister, Union of Bulgarian Jurists Head Comment on Judicial Authority Act Revisions

Dobrich, Northeastern Bulgaria, May 14 (BTA) - Justice Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva told journalists in Dobrich that regardless of what guarantees for independence and impartiality are provided by the law, everything depends on the inner conviction of the judges themselves. Zaharieva unveilved the new building of the Administrative Court in the city on Friday.

It is no chance that increased self-governance of justices is provided by the revisions to the Judicial Power Act, she underscored. This is done not only because the presidents of the courts are "primus inter pares", but also because of the manner in which their work will be assessed. What has been happening to date is absolutely incorrect, involving an interview on random questions. When a judge is promoted or relocated to another court the assessment of his/her work should be the quality of decreed judicial acts, Zaharieva said.

In turn, the Chairman of the Union of Bulgarian Jurists, Vladislav Slavov, commented in Varna (on the Black Sea) that Bulgaria should pass on to shorter court proceedings, that justices should be concentrated and only then discuss quality, transparency and supremacy of law. Slavov was participating in a discussion about the new constitutional regulations relevant to judicial power. He recalled that the union is turning 50 this year and that it has 3,500 members, as well as over 20 legal NGOs.

In spite of the ongoing reforms in the system, the feeling among the public that there is a lack of justice will not pass in just a couple of days, Slavov added. There are many problems that have yet to be resolved, such as changes in the number of courts with a significant difference in workloads. Closing them, however, will be difficult, because there is considerable resistance, including from local authorities.