Inter-Entity Legal Cooperation-Memorandum

After 1 1/2 years of OHR's working on the issue, the Entities' Ministers of Justice finally agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on Inter-Entity Legal Assistance between Institutions of the Federation and those of the RS. The Memorandum concerns cooperation between courts and other authorities in civil, criminal and administrative matters and is supposed to be signed on Wednesday, 13.00 in Banja Luka, Banski Dvor.

The Memorandum addresses - as an Interim Measure - the most urgent matters in the field of inter-entity legal and judicial cooperation, such as a mechanism for

• tracing witnesses in the other Entity and
• serving subpoenas to him/her,
• witness protection when testifying in the other Entity,
• establishing an inventory of real estate and cadasters,
• serving court documents to the other Entity (verdicts, decisions, etc.)
• expression of will to harmonise the Entities' legislation regarding admissibility of lawyers in the Entities, etc.

Sarajevo, 19 May 1998