The Ministry of Justice has submitted a draft court reform. The reform will merge courts of the same type. For example, there will remain one county court, one administrative court, and one circuit court. Currently, there are more of these.
All court houses will remain. There are 15 for the county court, three for the administrative court, and two for the circuit court. The locations of court houses will be written into the law for the first time.
Judges will henceforth be appointed with precision to a specific court house. This decision will be made by the general assembly of the Supreme Court.
Many judges are against the merging of courts. They believe it is unconstitutional and does not solve specific problems.
The merging of courts may also have negative effects. For example, management may become more complicated and on-site flexibility may decrease.
The reform will transfer the administrative tasks of the courts from the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Digital Affairs to the court system. A new court administration and development council will also be established.
Courts will be responsible for their own budgets. Currently, this is done by the Ministry of Justice.
New opportunities will be given to judges. For example, they can work outside the court and engage in managing a business.
The aim of the court reform is to make the courts faster, of higher quality, and more accessible. The reform will come into force in January 2027.