What is the role of the media in strengthening independence and accountability of the judiciary and how important their co-operation is – these questions were in the focus of the workshop organised within the joint European Union/Council of Europe action “Strengthening independence and accountability of the judiciary”.
Judge Jasmina Vasović, President of the Supreme Court of Cassation and the Head of the Council of Europe Office in Belgrade, Tobias Flessenkemper exchanged opinions on these pertinent issues with the members of the High Judicial Council.
“Judiciary and media can co-operate well and the judiciary in Serbia has made first steps towards better transparency by appointing the spokespersons of the courts in Serbia”, said judge Vasović.
Tobias Flessenkemper underlined that judiciaries across the European continent have had a complex relationship with the media over the years. “Judgments do not speak for themselves, and this is why the judiciary is required to speak up, to explain their work and provide high quality information on the proceedings and on how courts are run”, he said.
The discussion took place during the workshop for members of the High Judicial Council, which aimed to increase skills of members of the Council to deal with the media and better communicate about the work of the judiciary to the citizens of Serbia.
The workshop was oganised within the action “Strengthening independence and accountability of the judiciary”, which is a part of the joint European Union/Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019 – 2022”.
