DIGITALIZACIJA PRAVOSUĐA U REPUBLICI SRBIJI – primena u praksi i izazovi –
Authors: Samuilov Jelena 
Published: January 2023

The digitalization process has become an integral part of every aspect of social life, and consequently of the judiciary. The digitalization process is fast and must be kept up with, which very often requires significant financial resources, as well as additional education. In justice as an integral part of social life, digitalization is also necessary because it implies more efficient justice, faster communication, and cost reduction, but this process does not proceed at the same speed in the justice system of EU member states and in the Republic of Serbia. The process of digitalization of the judiciary in the Republic of Serbia started a long time ago, but it is developing very slowly. There are many reasons for that. Although there is a legal regulation that implies a digital approach to work, the legal solutions are principled and insufficient and leave a lot of possibilities for doubts or prevent the use of digital means completely, but they also affect the proof procedure. Furthermore, the lack of technical equipment, reluctantly developed and reliable programs, the disconnection of the Internet, the lack of adequate platforms to connect all relevant state authorities for the exchange of information appear as obstacles to the application of digitalization, so that the application of digitalization in criminal procedures are very narrow and reduced to the preparation of acts (which are again printed and delivered to other authorities in paper form), use of e-mail, establishment and updating of official websites of prosecutor's offices and courts, access to the records of the Ministry of Interior and individual state bodies, and only in some prosecutor's offices the use of the SAPO program, as an electronic case record. In particular, the problems due to insufficiently developed digitalization were expressed during the COVID 19 virus pandemic, when the judiciary of Serbia was neither technically nor organizationally ready to carry out procedures. While the judiciary in Serbia faces many challenges in terms of digitalization, in the member states of the European Union the digitalization process has advanced in many ways, especially because the pandemic of the COVID 19 virus has shown that digitalization in the judiciary is necessary, but it has also shown the shortcomings of digitalization, and steps are now being taken to improve the existing achievements or find better solutions, especially which is very demanding because the EU judiciary is characterized by international legal cooperation and different national legal systems. In addition to the already existing platforms, the most developed and the most customized of which are E-Government and e-CODEX, which is used for investigative orders, small value cases, payment orders between member states, work is being done to improve platforms in criminal justice, especially within Eurojust, Europol and similar formations and in this regard a package of measures was created. However, digitalization is an unstoppable process and if the judiciary in Serbia has to become more efficient, more work must be done on digitalization. This would imply great financial support for digitalization, both in the procurement of adequate and high-quality technical equipment, as well as in organization, and also changes in legislation. The benefits from that accelerated process would be great, and would range from better organization and efficiency of the judiciary to a significant reduction in the currently significant costs of the procedure.