Updated: May 9, 2016
The Multi Donor Trust Fund for Justice Sector Support (MDTF-JSS) aims to strengthen the capacity of the justice sector of the Republic of Serbia in order to facilitate its integration to the European Union. In doing so, the MDTF-JSS improves aid effectiveness and donor coordination across the sector through the implementation of a coordinated work program, financed by pooled contributions from Serbia’s development partners.
The MDTF-JSS was established in 2008, however progress was slow in the early years due to a range of factors detailed in the 2012 Mid-Term Review. From 2013, momentum and implementation progress have improved, and the MDTF-JSS has provided valuable contributions to strengthen the rule of law and align with EU standards. The project is rated by the World Bank as satisfactory, with satisfactory ratings for its progress in achieving its development objective and its implementation progress.
For the period from 2016 to 2018, the MDTF-JSS will be to intensify implementation support to the sector to build on and leverage the good results and ensure their sustainability. Much diagnostic and analytic work has been undertaken recently, in particular through the 2014 Judicial Functional Review, which documents the current performance challenges and the reasons for them. The sector is now well-placed to receive more targeted technical assistance to implement agreed actions. As a result, future programming will focus more on recipient-executed implementation than on Bank-executed advisory services. In doing so, the MDTF-JSS will focus more intensively than in the past on support for Access to Justice, given that the dedicated Access to Justice sub-component has an undisbursed balance. Consultations and analytic work highlight pressing needs in this area, which the MDTF-JSS is well-placed support.
The current donors of the MDTF-JSS are United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland. In the past, the MDTF-JSS has also received contributions from the Delegation of the EU in Serbia and Norway.
By design, the MDTF-JSS is a collaborative initiative that coordinates its activities and seeks synergies with all key development partners in Serbia’s justice sector. Particularly, all MDTF-JSS activities are being closely coordinated with the European Commission to ensure that the activities complement the support provided by the European Commission and facilitate Serbia’s justice sector-related EU integration.
The MDTF-JSS is an instrument that seeks to strengthen donor coordination and improve aid effectiveness in Serbia’s justice sector. Channeling development partner resources through the MDTF-JSS supports Government-led donor coordination on justice sector reform and modernization. The MDTF-JSS builds on and strengthens the existing dialogue and coordination arrangements between the executive, judiciary, development partners, civil society, and the academia. The MDTF-JSS also promotes external stakeholder participation in supporting Serbia’s justice sector and tracking progress in reform implementation.
The World Bank facilitates the MDTF-JSS Management Committee periodically (at least every 6 months) to bring together key Serbian stakeholders, the Bank team, and contributing donors. Previous donors and others may act as observers to meetings. The MDTF-JSS also finances a Partners’ Forum meets at least annually and is led by the Ministry of Justice to bring together all stakeholders in Serbia’s justice sector
Partners - Donors
 Denmark |
 Netherlands |
 United Kingdom |
 Sweeden |
 Spain |
 Slovenia |
 Ministry of Justice and Public Administration |
 Association of Judges |
Commercial Court |
|
Ministry of Finance |
Republican Public Prosecutor's Office |
Supreme Court of Cassation |
 Judicial Academy |
 Belgrade University - Faculty of Law |
 Association of Prosecutors |
 Bar Association of Serbia |
 High Judicial Council |
State Prosecutorial Council |
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Republic Prosecutor Office |
Constituional Court |
Commercial Appellate Court |
Other International Partners
