The Serbia MDTF-JSS is launching a consultation on the Serbia Justice Perception Survey (“Justice in Serbia: A Multi-Stakeholder Perspective - Survey Feedback on Judiciary Efficiency, Quality, Accessibility, Fairness, Integrity, Costs, and Reform Expectations”), funded by the MDTF-JSS.

This report summarizes a survey of perceptions, experiences, and reform expectations with regard to the Serbian judiciary resulting from a survey conducted in 2010.

The survey particularly focused on the efficiency, quality of services, accessibility, fairness, integrity, and costs in the justice sector, with an objective to: (i) provide a baseline against which future justice reform results could be assessed; and (ii) help identify areas for further judicial reform.

Members of the general public, business sector representatives, members of the legal profession working in private practice, and judicial employees were polled. The survey also looked at experiences, perceptions, and expectations among vulnerable groups, including members of the Roma community, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), and refugees.

The top findings and possible reform implications are as follows:

• Efficiency - measured here as the time of case processing – is raised as a major concern by all stakeholders.
• The analysis provides a strong case for increasing transparency and accountability for performance of the judiciary. Different perceptions among different stakeholders could be bridged by clarifying what should be expected by and from the judiciary.
• Differences in reform expectations and knowledge of reform objectives among stakeholder groups call for enhanced change management and internal and external communications on judiciary reforms.
• Administrative services currently provided by courts could be modernized to reduce waiting time. One-stop shops and electronic service delivery could be considered.