Poput mnogih drugih stvari ovdje u Bosni i Hercegovini, istorija rada na reformi sektora pravosuđa je duga i komplikovana. Bilo je važnih postignuća; bilo je bolnih posrnuća. U BiH postoje mnoge odlične i pravične sudije i tužioci, ali ima i onih koji su izdali ovlasti i povjerenje koje nosi njihova pozicija. Mnogo je govora o „radnim mjestima i pravdi“, ali se još uvijek malo toga radi.

Pa kako da se odmaknemo od parola i postignemo nešto značajno i trajno? Nešto što će zaista napraviti razliku u životima običnih građana. Boriti se protiv nejednakosti u društvu u kome bogati postaju još bogatiji na račun siromašnih. Gdje su moćnici nekažnjivi pred zakonom. Gdje je sistem pravosuđa previše spor, nekompetentan ili korumpiran da bi zaštitio najugroženije.

Prije 800 godina, u Engleskoj se desio veliki preokret koji je promjenio našu zemlju – iz osnova i za sva vremena. Kralj John, korumpiran i autokrata, nije nikome polagao račune i u tome je pretjerao. Njegovi podanici okrenuli su se protiv njega i natjerali ga da prihvati novi sistem u kome je monarh predmetom pravnog sistema zemlje. Ovaj dokument, vjerovatno najznačajniji pravni dokument u istoriji, postaće poznat kao „Magna Carta” ili Velika povelja sloboda.

Magna Carta je po prvi put uvela ustavnu vlast u Englesku. Natjerala je kralja da prihvati određene fundamentalne vrijednosti i principe: pravo na pravično suđenje, zaštitu od mučenja i pravo na učešće u političkom i vjerskom životu. Uredila je i postavljanje ribarskih mreža na rijeci Temzi, ali možda taj dio možemo preskočiti!

Ovo se svodi na to da oni koji su prethodno stajali izvan zakona private vladavinu prava. Uvodi pojam odgovornosti za sve, od kralja na niže, bez obzira na njihova poznanstva i finansijsko stanje.

Po mom skromnom mišljenju, Bosni i Hercegovini treba jedan Magna Carta trenutak. Treba joj da njeno političko rukovodstvo prihvati da više neće uživati privilegiju nekažnjivosti. Da će prestati koristiti pravosuđe kao sredstvo manipulacije u sopstvenu korist. Da će se prestati sa praksom političkih namještenja i kronizma, da će se sudije i tužioci imenovati isključivo na osnovu njihovih sposobnosti, iskustva i dokazanog integriteta. Kao što je prihvatio kralj John u Magna Carti: „Imenovaćemo sudije… samo one koji poznaju zakone teritorije i žele da ga primjenjuju”.

Prošlogodišnji protesti su donekle pokazali kakve mogu biti posljedice ako vaše političke vođe ne private ovaj izazov. Istorija, drevna i savremena, uči nas da marginalizacija i nejednakost, vode ka nestabilnosti, a moguće i konfliktu. Vjerujem da je u Bosni i Hercegovini neizbježna promjena i da ako lideri ne donesu teške odluke, narod će to učiniti za njih. Dakle, ulog je veliki.

Ali, sve i da postoji politička volja za reforme, šta onda? Reforma pravosuđa je komplikovana i dugo traje. Za razliku od perioda kralja Johna, shvatanje “zakona teritorije” u smislu čisto domaćeg prava danas nije dovoljno. Sudije i tužioci će takođe možda morati poznavati i primjenjivati međunarodno pravo, poput Evropske konvencije o ljudskim pravima.

Složenost i brz razvoj modernog prava podrazumjevaju da pravni stručnjaci moraju biti najpametniji i najbolji, da moraju težiti najvišim standardima integriteta kako profesionalno tako i lično, biti spremni na stalno istraživanje, učenje i sopstveni razvoj, te biti sposobni da donose jasne i uvjerljive odluke o složenim pitanjima.

Reforma pravosuđa ne može biti odvojena od ekonomskog plana. Za strane investitore poštivanje vladavine prava je najvažnije u procesu donošenja odluka. Treba da budu sigurni da će se komercijalne nesuglasice brzo i pravedno rješavati. Da će njihove investicije biti zaštićene. Da će korupcija biti kažnjena. Bez pravde, radna mjesta, koja su jako potrebna mladima u ovoj zemlji, ostaće samo iluzija.

Dakle, sve važniji dio mog rada u Ambasadi zauzima promovisanje vladavine prava jer vjerujemo da su politička konkurentnost, vladavina prava i sloboda govora ključni preduslovi za inovaciju i poduzetništvo – kao i za prosperitet koji iz njih proizilazi. Drugim riječima, vjerujemo da se vladavina prava, efikasna uprava i ekonomski uspjeh uzajamno podupiru.

Usmjereni smo na usklađivanje pravnog sistema Bosne i Hercegovine sa evropskim standardima i zakonodavstvom što je preduslov za buduće članstvo u EU. Sarađujemo sa institucijama na državnom i entitetskom nivou kako bi unaprijedili njihovu stručnost i efikasnost tako da veći broj slučajeva može biti brže i pravednije obrađeno. Pomogli smo izradu strategija za borbu protiv korupcije – teme koja je veoma bitna za građane. Kroz Partnerstvo za otvorenu vlast ohrabrujemo Bosnu i Hercegovinu da svoje institucije otvori za javno nadgledanje i provjeru. Takođe, pokušavamo intenzivirati saradnju lanca krivične pravde na svim nivoima, uključujući i u borbi protiv terorizma.

Prioriteti moje vlade su prioriteti građana ove zemlje. Veliki je izazov pred nama. Ali, ako postoji politička volja, nema toga što zajedno ne možemo postići.

Like many things here in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the history of efforts to reform the justice sector is long and complicated. There have been important successes; there have been painful failures. There are many superb and honest judges and prosecutors in BiH, but there are also those who have betrayed the authority and trust that their positions represent. There is a lot of talk about ‘jobs and justice’, but still not yet enough action.

So how do we get beyond the soundbites, and achieve something that is meaningful and enduring? That will genuinely make a difference to the lives of ordinary people? Tackling the inequalities of a society where the rich get richer at the expense of the poor. Where the powerful enjoy apparent impunity from the law. Where the justice system is too slow, too incompetent or too corrupt to protect the most vulnerable.

800 years ago, in England, there was a seismic event that changed our country fundamentally and for ever. King John, corrupt and autocratic, was accountable to no-one. But he pushed his luck too far. His subjects turned on him, and forced him to sign up to a new system, where the monarch was subject to the law of the land. The document, arguably the most important legal document in history, would become known as the “Magna Carta”, the Great Charter.

The Magna Carta introduced constitutional government to England for the first time. It forced the King to accept certain fundamental values and principles: the right to a fair trial, to freedom from torture and to participation in political and religious life. It also regulated the setting of fish traps on the Thames River, but perhaps we can skim over that part!

What this boiled down to was an acceptance of the rule of law by those who had previously stood outside it. It introduced accountability for everyone, from the King downwards, no matter who they knew or how much money they had.

In my humble opinion, BiH needs a Magna Carta moment. It needs the political leadership to accept that they will no longer enjoy impunity. That they will stop using the judiciary as a tool to manipulate to their own advantage. That the practices of patronage and cronyism will end, and that judges and prosecutors will be appointed exclusively on the basis of their talent, experience and proven integrity. As King John agreed in the Magna Carta, “We will appoint as justices … only such as know the law of the realm and mean to observe it well.”

Last year’s protests offered a glimpse of the potential consequences should your political leaders fail to accept this challenge. History, both ancient and modern, teaches us that where there is marginalisation and inequality, then instability – and possibly conflict – will ensue. I believe that change is inevitable in BiH, and that if leaders fail to make tough choices, then the people will do it for them. So there is a lot at stake.

But even if the political will for reform exists, what then? Justice reform is a complicated business. It takes time. Unlike in King John’s time, understanding “the law of the realm” in the sense of purely domestic law is today insufficient. Judges and prosecutors may also have to understand and apply international law, like the European Convention on Human Rights.

The complexity and rapid development of modern law means that legal professionals need to be the brightest and the best, striving for the highest standards of integrity in both their professional and personal lives, willing constantly to research, to learn and develop themselves, and able to reach clear and cogent decisions on complex questions.

And justice reform cannot be separated out from the economic agenda. Adherence to the rule of law is top of the list when it comes to decisions by foreign investors. They need confidence that commercial disputes will be quickly and fairly dealt with. That their investments will be protected. That corruption will be punished. Without justice, the jobs that young people in this country need so desperately will remain an illusion.

And so, an increasingly vital part of my Embassy’s work is promoting the rule of law, because we believe that political competition, rule of law and free speech are essential pre-requisites for innovation and entrepreneurialism – and for the prosperity that flows from it. In other words, we believe that the rule of law, good governance and economic success are mutually reinforcing.

Our focus is on aligning BiH’s legal system with European standards and legislation, which is a pre-condition for future membership of the EU. We work with State and Entity-level institutions to improve their expertise and efficiency, so that more cases can be heard quickly and fairly. We have helped to develop strategies for tackling corruption – an issue that really matters to people. Through the Open Government Partnership, we are encouraging BiH to open up its institutions to public scrutiny. And we are trying to intensify cooperation at all levels of the criminal justice chain, including in the fight against terrorism.

The priorities of my government are the priorities of the people of this country. A huge challenge lies ahead. But if the political will exists, there is nothing that, together, we cannot achieve.