Judges of the Honorary Court of the Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts Sworn In

The Honorary Court of the Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts (HOK) has established itself as a reputable institution of alternative adjudication, recognized by citizens – consumers, state administration bodies, entrepreneurs, and craftsmen seeking protection from this court, believing in the principles of its operation, independence, impartiality, and legality, said Mato Topić, the president of the Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts (HOK), at today’s ceremonial swearing-in of the judges of the Honorary Court of the Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts.

A total of 134 judges (of first-instance and second-instance councils and members of the Presidency) were appointed by the Decision of the HOK Management Board on September 24, for the term from 2008 to 2012. For the first time, representatives of consumers have been appointed to the councils of the Honorary Court, thereby achieving one of the principles of European consumer protection. All EU member states encourage the introduction of such dispute resolution methods to relieve the courts and achieve justice more quickly and economically for all, said Ema Culi, director of the Trade and Internal Market Directorate of the Ministry of Economy, Labor, and Entrepreneurship.

Josip Kos (retired judge of the High Commercial Court of the Republic of Croatia) has been appointed as the president of the Honorary Court, a position he held during the previous four-year term. His deputies are Marijan Perica (vice president of HOK) and Ante Mihić (president of the Crafts Chamber of Šibenik-Knin County). A total of 108 judges have been appointed to the first-instance council, and 26 judges to the second-instance council.

HOK reminds that the Honorary Court was established in 2000, in accordance with the Crafts Act and the Statute of the Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts. Since 2007, based on the Consumer Protection Act, it operates as an independent body on the principles of consumer protection of EU countries, as an institution of alternative adjudication in Croatia, determining the responsibility of craftsmen, members of HOK for violations of business and trade customs in conducting crafts, violations of consumer rights, violations of obligations to apprentices, violations of the statute, and imposing prescribed sanctions. In the past period, the Honorary Court has worked on more than 1,200 cases, with substantive decisions made in over 700 cases, and in more than 250 cases, the dispute was resolved by settlement.  (H)