N17.T9 – Basic Court in Pljevlja: Good Results in Inadequate Conditions
HRA NEWSLETTER 17 – TOPIC 9
Reports by the European Commission, the Venice Commission, and the UN Special Rapporteur of the United Nations on the independence of judges and lawyers have consistently highlighted the lack of adequate staffing and infrastructure capacities. The Basic Court in Pljevlja represents an illustrative example of this situation in practice.
The court operates in a spatially and technically inadequate building. There are no dedicated rooms for interviewing minors, nor premises for prosecutors, lawyers, or parties to the proceedings. A corridor on the upper floor of the building is used as a waiting area, which further complicates the court’s work and affects the dignity of participants in proceedings.
The building is not accessible to persons with disabilities. Persons using wheelchairs can reach only the reception desk but not the courtrooms or registries, and due to the layout and size of the premises, adaptation is currently not possible. An additional problem is frequent interruptions in electricity supply, which is why the installation of a power generator has been planned.
Despite these conditions, and the fact that the court lacks two judges, good results were achieved. During 2025, the court handled 2,916 cases, of which 1,725 were resolved, representing 60.27% of the total caseload. In relation to the inflow of cases, 93.09% were resolved.
Judges were on average assigned 972 cases, while 575 cases per judge were completed on average. Court President Marina Jelovac achieved 135.13% of the annual performance norm, while judge Sanja Aničića chieved 141.54%, and judge Ljiljana Popović achieved 123.9% of the annual norm.
Judge Sanja Aničić has since resigned, while Ana Gačević has been elected as a new judge. The court still lacks two judges, which represents a serious long-term challenge for the efficient handling of cases.
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