Ombudswoman Tena Šimonović Einwalter participated on 2 October 2026 in the 9th Congress of Court Experts of the Republic of Croatia, dedicated to the exchange of knowledge, experience, good practices and discussion of challenges in the justice system.
Speaking at the opening of the event, the Ombudswoman stressed that, although the role of court experts and valuers often remains outside the public spotlight, it is extremely important for numerous decisions that affect citizens’ lives, as their expert findings and opinions frequently provide a basis on which courts and other authorities build their decisions. For this reason, the quality, expertise, impartiality and ethical standards of court experts’ work are not merely professional matters, but issues of wider public interest and importance.
Fair trial and effective legal protection do not depend solely on the work of courts, but also on all stakeholders within the justice system, among whom court experts play an indispensable role. In many proceedings, the findings and opinion of a court expert may be crucial for the exercise of a right or for obtaining protection in cases where a right has been violated, while high-quality, timely and professional expert assessment contributes to the fairness of proceedings. On the other hand, the consequences of lengthy waiting times or a shortage of available experts in certain fields are most often borne by citizens who are in the greatest need of protection of their rights.
The Ombudswoman also pointed to the need to adopt legislation regulating the appointment, duties and remuneration of permanent court experts, an issue she has also raised in her annual reports to the Croatian Parliament. The working conditions of court experts are also a matter of the efficiency of the justice system and of ensuring citizens’ constitutional rights to a fair trial and to a hearing within a reasonable time. Maintaining high professional standards, ensuring the availability of experts throughout Croatia and attracting new professionals to the system of expert assessment also require appropriate recognition and remuneration of their work.
Citizens’ trust in the justice system and the rule of law is built through the perception that proceedings are fair, transparent and based on objective facts, while the expertise and independence of court experts are among the prerequisites for strengthening that trust, the Ombudswoman emphasised.
At the same time, today’s social circumstances, technological developments, the use of artificial intelligence, increasingly complex economic relations and highly specialised fields of knowledge require continuous improvement of professional competences, exchange of experience and development of professional standards in line with the demands of contemporary society, as well as the fostering of professional integrity and ethical standards, Ombudswoman Šimonović Einwalter concluded.
