WEBVTT

00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:06.600
Hello again. At today's
meeting with the Prime Minister,

00:00:06.800 --> 00:00:10.036
the Justice Minister,
and the Minister of Public

00:00:10.157 --> 00:00:16.176
Administration, we touched on
the most crucial current issue

00:00:16.297 --> 00:00:20.903
affecting the judicial branch,
namely the pay status of judges

00:00:21.024 --> 00:00:26.156
and the imbalances in salaries
between judicial officials

00:00:26.477 --> 00:00:32.216
and officials in the other two
branches of government.

00:00:32.343 --> 00:00:40.216
I'm pleased that the Prime Minister
has stressed, and the Minister

00:00:40.350 --> 00:00:48.042
of Public Administration confirmed
this, that things will begin

00:00:48.163 --> 00:00:56.113
to change. The first step involves
a pay raise for beginner judges,

00:00:56.297 --> 00:01:03.143
young judges who are paid poorly.
I won't repeat the numbers,

00:01:03.283 --> 00:01:08.203
which are available, but I can
share them with you later.

00:01:08.483 --> 00:01:14.320
The Prime Minister has assured us
that this process will continue,

00:01:14.583 --> 00:01:22.160
up to around June 1, when we
expect to begin coordinating

00:01:22.317 --> 00:01:27.643
the pay grades of officials
in the various branches

00:01:27.823 --> 00:01:34.760
of government, so we can get rid
of these imbalances.

00:01:35.010 --> 00:01:39.576
I'm personally most pleased

00:01:39.750 --> 00:01:44.776
that the Prime Minister's method
of communication

00:01:44.897 --> 00:01:49.490
has given us hope that we can
have dialog between

00:01:49.663 --> 00:01:53.616
the branches of government.
The Judicial Council

00:01:53.790 --> 00:01:56.863
and its European network
has long cautioned,

00:01:57.023 --> 00:02:00.883
and formal opinions have been
issued within that network,

00:02:01.070 --> 00:02:05.323
that dialog is the appropriate,
constructive way forward

00:02:05.463 --> 00:02:09.250
and can ensure progress
if the branches of government

00:02:09.410 --> 00:02:14.250
work together. This includes
relations between the branches.

00:02:14.392 --> 00:02:21.696
I would like to stress the need
for respect between the branches

00:02:21.817 --> 00:02:25.983
of government. This is important
not just for the rule of law

00:02:26.163 --> 00:02:31.456
and the organization of the state,
but most importantly

00:02:31.597 --> 00:02:35.476
for citizens taking part
in court cases

00:02:35.637 --> 00:02:40.543
where human rights are often
protected. Thank you.

00:02:41.097 --> 00:02:44.563
Thank you to the president
of the Judicial Council

00:02:44.690 --> 00:02:48.776
for the invitation, which I gladly
accepted. As I mentioned,

00:02:48.910 --> 00:02:51.723
2023 is going to be a year
of reform.

00:02:52.377 --> 00:02:58.297
The judiciary is among the systems
that will improve in many respects

00:02:58.450 --> 00:03:03.383
this year. But we must start
with its autonomy.

00:03:03.510 --> 00:03:06.870
Autonomy can't be just
a constitutional provision

00:03:07.023 --> 00:03:11.276
that isn't carried out. Instead,
the autonomy of the judicial

00:03:11.397 --> 00:03:15.603
branch must exist in real life,
when it comes to appointments,

00:03:15.730 --> 00:03:20.216
terms, and monetary independence.

00:03:20.343 --> 00:03:24.856
Today, we examined our views.

00:03:25.017 --> 00:03:31.230
We looked at our planned measures,
like those affecting wages

00:03:31.583 --> 00:03:35.843
and the reform of the unified
wage system

00:03:35.997 --> 00:03:40.537
with a special emphasis on
the specific needs

00:03:40.697 --> 00:03:43.970
of the judiciary, where
there are more officials

00:03:44.091 --> 00:03:48.743
than employees, and this must be
considered as part of this package.

00:03:48.950 --> 00:03:52.796
Then there's the timeline
of our plans.

00:03:52.937 --> 00:03:55.763
We briefly touched
on several reforms.

00:03:55.917 --> 00:03:59.043
They'll be the subject
of continued dialog.

00:03:59.190 --> 00:04:03.103
They mostly concern appointments
of both the Chief Justice

00:04:03.283 --> 00:04:06.196
of the Supreme Court
and the justices.

00:04:06.397 --> 00:04:09.703
We support autonomy
and the complete withdrawal

00:04:09.870 --> 00:04:14.336
of politics from this process,
on a voluntary basis, of course.

00:04:14.517 --> 00:04:20.016
When we build that foundation,
the autonomy of the judicial branch,

00:04:20.710 --> 00:04:26.696
this can serve as a starting point
for higher expectations

00:04:26.863 --> 00:04:31.110
from the judiciary, so that
citizens are even more satisfied

00:04:31.283 --> 00:04:34.890
with how efficiently
their rights are being protected.

00:04:35.030 --> 00:04:38.336
Politicians must take their
steps, but then

00:04:38.523 --> 00:04:43.043
it's all about the system itself.
Our dialog today was very useful

00:04:43.197 --> 00:04:48.359
and fruitful. I'm glad
that we share practically

00:04:48.480 --> 00:04:52.240
the same values, but also
the same views

00:04:52.361 --> 00:04:55.999
how we can create these new
conditions in our society.