Court Efficiency in Serbia in Time of Pandemic

The MDTF-JSS supports justice institutions in Serbia to implement reforms that improve efficiency, quality and access to justice. COVID-19 outbreak has posed unprecedented challenges to the planned implementation support and created new and urgent priorities for the Serbian judiciary. To improve resilience and continuity of judicial service in the time of pandemic, the MDTF-JSS assessed effects of COVID-19 outbreak on courts in Serbia and identified means to provide effective response within the current regulatory framework. The outbreak has also revealed challenges related to insufficient use of online communication tools. The MDTF-JSS will assist the High Judicial Council and courts in providing specific response to the crisis. Building on the previously recommendations and tools for backlog reduction, fast tracking, broader use of ICT, the MDTF-JSS will design policy measures to efficiently deal with the emerging problems.