Pressure against the independence of prosecutors is unacceptable, especially the one that comes from politicians. This is one of the conclusions of the discussion held within the Second Working Forum of the General Prosecutors of the Balkan states on "The role of the Prosecution in establishing the rule of law", which is being held in Sofia. An effective Prosecution is the biggest guarantee for the rule of law, trust in institutions and a prosperous economy, according to state prosecutors in the region.
The talks also focused on the benefits of the effective interaction demonstrated in recent years between prosecutors' offices in the Balkans, which is essential for the effectiveness of national judicial systems.
Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev opened the Second Working Forum of Chief Prosecutors of the Balkan States with the words: "The best weapon is personal professional contact between fellow prosecutors, which makes our work more effective in the fight against crime." The Bulgarian Prosecutor General expressed confidence that the sharing of best practices from the work of individual national prosecutor's offices "will be extremely useful in finding possible solutions and tackling the challenges of achieving ever-increasing results in the fight against crime and especially cross-border crime."
Ivan Geshev wished the participants in the Forum to continue affirming the authority, contribution and achievements of the guild throughout the region, while defending the principles of law and independence of the profession.
Ladislav Hamran, President of Eurojust, greeted the participants in the Second Working Forum of the General Prosecutors of the Balkan States by videoconference.
The Forum in Sofia is attended by the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Turkey Bekir Şahin, the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Northern Macedonia Lubomir Joveski, the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Albania Olcian Cela, the First Deputy Prosecutor General of Romania Bogdan Licu, Milanko Kajganic - Deputy Prosecutor General of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Head of the Specialized Department for War Crimes. Representatives of the Prosecutor's Office of Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia, Greece and Bulgaria made statements.
The participants in the discussion decided the host of the Third Working Forum of the General Prosecutors of the Balkan States to be the Republic of Romania.
Text to the photos:
- General photo of the participants in the Second Working Forum of the General Prosecutors of the Balkan States.
- From left to right - Ilknur Altuntaş - Senior Prosecutor at the Supreme Court of Appeal of Turkey, First Deputy Prosecutor General of Romania Bogdan Licu, Prosecutor General of the Republic of Turkey Bekir Şahin, Bulgarian Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev, Prosecutor General of the Republic of Albania Olsian Çela, Murat Öksüz - Senior Prosecutor at the Supreme Court of Appeal of Turkey.
- Second Working Forum of the General Prosecutors of the Balkan States.
- On the left - Prosecutor General of the Republic of Northern Macedonia, Ljubomir Joveski, on the right - Milanko Kajganic - the Deputy Prosecutor General of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Head of the Specialized Department for War Crimes.
- Milanko Kajganic - the Deputy Prosecutor General of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Head of the Specialized Department for War Crimes.