4th February 2020

AmCham CZ: Justice Reform. Setting the Table for Reform

At a special AmCham Big Picture advocacy session, Justice Minister Marie Benešová, Supreme State Prosecutor Pavel Zeman and President of the Union of Judges Daniela Zemanová debated such topics as publication of decisions, staffing of judicial assistants, the root cause of formalism in court rulings, or the effect of the regional court system on specialization. They agreed on some things, and disagreed on others. As you could expect from knowledgable individuals responsible for different parts of a complex system. The most important conclusion? We will continue the debate in search of the best solutions.

"Our aim was to have a healthy debate on how to improve the outcomes and efficiency of the system, and to increase public trust that the justice system delivers justice," says Dan Ťok, who moderated the debate in his role as a past AmCham president. "We did not expect everyone would agree with each other, but we were encouraged that all three speakers recognize that changes should be made, and that each had detailed proposals of what to do."

"The time is ripe for a three tier judicial system," Justice Minister Marie Benešová told the audience of top lawyers, executives and representatives of the justice system. "We would need to redraw the map of courts. Such an overhaul cannot be accomplished within this electoral period, but we can prepare an analysis of how to do it. That is our plan."

Author: ws

Members of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic