The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on civil proceedings

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic is a health care crisis with serious human and social consequences, with challenges for the courts and the judiciary all around the world. It has created the conditions to reflect on the possibilities of applying innovative measures in the judiciary. In the context of domestic realities, we note that the gaps in the procedural legislation and other technical and legal shortcomings of the rules and institutions of civil procedural law significantly affect the access to justice. State civil courts have suspended dockets, allowed litigants to delay their cases, or are operating in person but with more limited contact. Serbian courts could not and still cannot shift to remote operation by phone or video. The so-called “virtual hearing” is not allowed by Serbian law. This article especially addresses to issues of duty to safeguard the public hearing in both the court room and in case of holding a virtual hearing.