On 15-16 November, the Department for the Execution of Judgments carried out a mission to Croatia to discuss cases pending under the supervision of the Committee of Ministers, to strengthen cooperation, and to raise awareness of the work, practice and procedures of the Committee of Ministers and the Department.
The delegation met with the Minister of Justice, the acting directors of the Directorate for Prison System and Probation and the Directorate for Human Rights and National Minorities and Ethics, as well as the State and Deputy Attorney General, to discuss the implementation of cases concerning excessive length of civil proceedings (Kirinčić and Others) and poor conditions of detention (Huber group). With respect to the former issue the Minister of Justice informed the delegation of the wide-ranging measures introduced to increase the efficiency of civil proceedings, including the 2022 amendments to the Civil Procedure Act and the 2023 Mediation Act. He also set out details of the foreseen amendments to the 2013 Courts Act aimed at ensuring the effectiveness of the remedy for the protection of the right to trial within a reasonable time. Regarding poor conditions of detention, the delegation was informed of the functioning of the probation service and introduction of electronic surveillance for individuals released under parole, as well as the planned construction of new prisons in Gospić, Osijek and Sisak.
A separate meeting was held with the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets to discuss the steps taken to resolve the long standing issue concerning the statutory limitations on the landlords’ use of flats subject to protected tenancy (Statileo group). The delegation was informed that the authorities had prepared a draft law to execute this group of judgments, which was sent for publication consultation on 13 November for a period of 30 days and was expected to be introduced to Parliament in early 2024. The proposed legislation aims to strike a fair balance between the rights and interests of landlords and protected tenants.
Furthermore, the delegation met with the President and several judges of the Supreme Court to discuss the coordination for the effective execution of individual measures in several pending cases, notably after the reopening of the proceedings following the ECtHR judgments.
Finally, the delegation had the opportunity to attend a meeting of the Croatian Council of Experts for the Execution of Judgments and Decisions of the European Court. This inter-ministerial and inter-institutional body, which recently celebrated its tenth anniversary, has made a significant contribution to the decrease in the number of Croatian cases pending execution despite the significant inflow from the ECHR, from 155 in 2013 (of which 55 are leading cases) to 84 in 2023 (of which 28 are leading cases).
