Catalysts of law

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Published: August 14, 2025

The length of court proceedings is one of the key challenges facing many constitutional states. That is why the EU urges the Western Balkan candidate countries to speed up their court proceedings in its country reports.

However, delays in proceedings are only partly due to legal regulations. The active exercise of judicial power can also have a major impact on speeding up proceedings. The use of so-called “soft skills” in conducting negotiations can have a positive effect on the efficiency of proceedings.

In the opinion of IRZ and its long-standing partner in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Centre for the Training of Judges and Prosecutors of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CEST FBIH), German negotiation practice offers many ideas in this regard. That is why our joint activities are currently focusing on active and effective judicial negotiation. Of particular note here is a study visit for young Bosnian judges to Cologne and Bonn in July. In addition to theoretical training, the visit included visits to the regional courts in Cologne and Bonn to gain a direct impression of the practical work involved. The participants were particularly impressed by the active conduct of the proceedings by the German judges and the collegial relationship between the lawyers involved in the proceedings.

One participant summed up the visit in a post on LinkedIn: “We felt part of a community committed to the rule of law.”