The President and the Vice President of the Judicial Council of the Slovak Republic received representatives of the International Monetary Fund
The Slovak Republic has been a member of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) since 1993. Every year the IMF holds regular consultations on the economic development of individual member countries and subsequently produces a list of assessments of their economies.
Although an IMF delegation visits the Slovak Republic every year, this is the first time that the Judicial Council of the Slovak Republic has been consulted by IMF representatives. The members of the delegation were interested in the main problems in the area of judicial independence and the efficiency of the functioning of the courts. They asked for brief information on legislative proposals that will help to address the identified problems.
For this reason, it was important for the IMF representatives to discuss with the top representatives of the constitutional body of judicial legitimacy. The delegation was welcomed by the President of the Judicial Council, Marcela Kosová, together with the Vice-President of the Judicial Council Ayše Pružinec Eren. "I very much appreciate the fact that the Judicial Council had the opportunity to speak with the IMF delegation for the first time ever, also about the judicial independence. In terms of financing the judiciary, we pointed out the need for decent remuneration of judicial staff, without their work judges cannot work effectively", said Marcela Kosová.
The discussion also covered the challenges identified by the Judicial Council in the area of efficient running of the courts. The President of the Judicial Council Marcela Kosová also pointed out the shortcomings of the new court map. Its implementation in practice has slowed down court proceedings and continues to have a negative impact on the day-to-day running of the Slovak judiciary, also from a financial point of view. She also spoke about the need to reconstruct a number of court buildings that do not have funds from the Recovery and Resilience Plan, which, due to its incorrect set-up, does not reflect the needs of the judiciary.
The crime of Abuse of Law and its impact on the threat to the independence of judges and the removal of members of the Judicial Council and its constitutional definition were also important topics.
Specific reforms and priorities relating to guaranteeing the independence of judges were also a separate topic. The IMF representatives were briefed on the establishment of the Judicial Council´s Permanent Legislative Commission and its work. They were also informed that the Judicial Council communicates with the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic and that its representative is part of the legislative groups preparing various changes related to the judiciary. By the end of 2025, 27 legislative proposals are to be adopted. "The discussion was very open, constructive and it was evident from the members of the delegation that they were very interested in the topic. I appreciate that the IMF representatives told us that they read with interest the Opinion of the Judicial Council on the Rule of Law Report 2024", concluded Marcela Kosová.
Although an IMF delegation visits the Slovak Republic every year, this is the first time that the Judicial Council of the Slovak Republic has been consulted by IMF representatives. The members of the delegation were interested in the main problems in the area of judicial independence and the efficiency of the functioning of the courts. They asked for brief information on legislative proposals that will help to address the identified problems.
For this reason, it was important for the IMF representatives to discuss with the top representatives of the constitutional body of judicial legitimacy. The delegation was welcomed by the President of the Judicial Council, Marcela Kosová, together with the Vice-President of the Judicial Council Ayše Pružinec Eren. "I very much appreciate the fact that the Judicial Council had the opportunity to speak with the IMF delegation for the first time ever, also about the judicial independence. In terms of financing the judiciary, we pointed out the need for decent remuneration of judicial staff, without their work judges cannot work effectively", said Marcela Kosová.
The discussion also covered the challenges identified by the Judicial Council in the area of efficient running of the courts. The President of the Judicial Council Marcela Kosová also pointed out the shortcomings of the new court map. Its implementation in practice has slowed down court proceedings and continues to have a negative impact on the day-to-day running of the Slovak judiciary, also from a financial point of view. She also spoke about the need to reconstruct a number of court buildings that do not have funds from the Recovery and Resilience Plan, which, due to its incorrect set-up, does not reflect the needs of the judiciary.
The crime of Abuse of Law and its impact on the threat to the independence of judges and the removal of members of the Judicial Council and its constitutional definition were also important topics.
Specific reforms and priorities relating to guaranteeing the independence of judges were also a separate topic. The IMF representatives were briefed on the establishment of the Judicial Council´s Permanent Legislative Commission and its work. They were also informed that the Judicial Council communicates with the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic and that its representative is part of the legislative groups preparing various changes related to the judiciary. By the end of 2025, 27 legislative proposals are to be adopted. "The discussion was very open, constructive and it was evident from the members of the delegation that they were very interested in the topic. I appreciate that the IMF representatives told us that they read with interest the Opinion of the Judicial Council on the Rule of Law Report 2024", concluded Marcela Kosová.