Horizontal Facility I (2016-2019)

January-March 2017

Newsletter No. 1 | March 2017

Welcome to the first newsletter on the Horizontal Facility actions. This quarterly newsletter will highlight just some of our activities.

About the Horizontal Facility ›

Photo Milan Obradović

Launch of seven Actions in Serbia

"We expect that this programme will encourage reform in Serbia”, said the Head of the EU Delegation in Belgrade, Michael Davenport at the launch on 2 March 2017 in Belgrade.

Ensuring justice

Activities in this thematic area focus on prisons and police, human rights standards in the judiciary, the efficiency of justice systems and/or legal co-operation

Training for a better application of the European Court of Human Rights case law in Montenegro, 27-28 February

Final meeting to finalise specific modules for treatment of vulnerable groups of prisoners, 13-16 February 2017

Fight against corruption

Actions under this theme include the fight against corruption, money laundering and the financing of terrorism. There are also actions to address corruption in education.

Follow-up workshop on political party and election campaign financining in Albania, 24 November

Co-ordinating two Actions on education in Kosovo*, Pristina, 26 January

Combating discrimination

Work in this area will concentrate on support to ombudspersons’ institutions, inclusive education (addressing racism, bullying, segregation and extremism in the education system), addressing trafficking in human beings, countering discrimination against national minorities and/or when based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Update on actions on education in Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo*

Roundtable on protection against discrimination in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 24 November 2016

Expert co-ordination mechanism

Will provide expertise within the Council of Europe system to respond to requests for legislative expertise and policy advice on ensuring justice, fighting economic crime and combating discrimination, as well as freedom of expression and the media, and constitutional issues falling within the mandate of the European Commission for Democracy through Law (known as the Venice Commission).

First result of an Expert Co-ordination Mechanism request for Bosnia and Herzegovina

Result of Expertise Co-ordination Mechanism for the Albanian "Vetting Law"

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Questions, comments, suggestions please get in touch ›

Council of Europe Office in Belgrade, Španskih boraca 3, 11 070 Belgrade, Serbia
Tel: + 381 11 71 555 00 horizontal.facility@coe.int

http://horizontal-facility-eu.coe.int

April-June 2017

HORIZONTAL FACILITY

Newsletter No. 2 | June 2017

Review of the first year of implementation of the Horizontal Facility

In April to June, five out of six Steering Committees for the implementation of the Horizontal Facility were held. The committee meetings took place in Tirana, Pristina and Sarajevo in April and Podgorica and Belgrade in May (as well as Skopje in March), and brought together beneficiary institutions, respective EUDs/EUO and Council of Europe representatives to review the first year of implementation of the Horizontal Facility, discuss the initial results and the forthcoming plans. The recommendations of the six Steering Committees will be reviewed at the Horizontal Facility Steering Board to take place in the forthcoming period.

Ensuring justice

Activities in this thematic area focus on prisons and police, human rights standards in the judiciary, the efficiency of justice systems and/or legal co-operation

Revision of training curricula and training material for police officers,7-8 June, Belgrade

Memorandum of cooperation for the reintegration of prisoners in Montenegro, 28 April

Film on regional conference on role of the Constitutional Court in developing the rule of law and protecting human rights in Montenegro.

Watch the film ›

Fight against corruption

Actions under this theme include the fight against corruption, money laundering and the financing of terrorism. There are also actions to address corruption in education.

Training on monitoring election campaign finances, 12 May, Albania

Workshop on "Transparency of Beneficial Ownership" on 27 April in Skopje

Combating discrimination

Work in this area will concentrate on support to ombudspersons’ institutions, inclusive education (addressing racism, bullying, segregation and extremism in the education system), addressing trafficking in human beings, countering discrimination against national minorities and/or when based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Working group to develop an Anti-discrimination Manual for Civil Servants and NGOs, 25 May in Sarajevo

International conference on bullying and extremism in schools to be held in Albania, 29 June 2017

Competences for Democratic Culture in Education in Montenegro

“Democracy and inclusivity are key elements for peaceful and stable societies which in turn allow progress and development in a country”

said Mr Andre Lys, Head of Cooperation Section, Delegation of the EU to Montenegro in his opening address at the conference on 21 April 2017.

The Expertise Co-ordination Mechanism

Following a request of the State Election Commission (SEC) of “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, an expert from the European Commission for Democracy

through Law (Venice Commission) was seconded to the SEC until mid-June 2017 to provide legal and technical advice on the administration of elections. As part of her assignment, the Venice Commission expert supported – in cooperation with the OSCE and IFES – the organisation of a workshop of the SEC on electoral dispute resolution (30 May – 1 June), in view of the organisation of the forthcoming local elections.

New Publications

Visit our publications page where we have new translations available of the leaflet on the Horizontal Facility, as well as the leaflet explaining the Expert Co-ordination Mechanism.

There are also two new reports available: National survey on bullying and violent extremism in the education system of Albanian and the Baseline assessment of integrity in higher education in Kosovo*

Visit the publications page ›

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Council of Europe Office in Belgrade, Španskih boraca 3, 11 070 Belgrade, Serbia
Tel: + 381 11 71 555 00 horizontal.facility@coe.int

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.

Horizontal Facilty website

July-September 2017

Horizontal Facility for Western Balkans and Turkey

Newsletter No. 3 | July - September 2017

A total of 625 police officers trained on human rights, police ethics and use of force

Ms Maja Stojanovska, a police officer trainer from the Sector for Internal Affairs in Skopje, said during one of the courses,

“The aim of these trainings is to make the theory and practice meet, and through interactive training to unify police proceedings and actions taken by all police officers, thus ensuring lawful use of police authority with respect of human rights and by applying the law to all citizens equally.”

Ensuring justice

Activities continue on prisons and police, human rights standards in the judiciary, the efficiency of justice systems and/or legal co-operation

Piloting of specific treatment programmes for vulnerable groups of offenders in prisons, July in Idrizovo and Shtip

Launch of satisfaction surveys in Kosovo* courts, 12 September in Pristina

Fight against corruption

Recent actions under this theme opened a constructive discussion on conducting financial investigation based on state audit reports, provided tools to supervisory authorities to take action against financial crime and addressed corruption in education.

Round-table on integrity in higher education in Serbia, Belgrade, 11 July

Asset recovery training for judges in Montenegro, 20 September

New report on trafficking

“Trafficking in human beings for the purpose of labour exploitation is an emergent area of focus in "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" and thus, enhanced legal and policy framework,

as well as greater involvement of the labour inspectors are needed to combat this phenomenon” – said one of the authors of the Report on Trafficking for the Purpose of Labour Exploitation, Klara Skrivankova.

Combating discrimination

Actions under this thematic area continued to provide support to ombudspersons’ institutions, foster a democratic school culture and strengthen the capacities of local trainers and teachers to fight bullying and extremism in the education system. From July to September, work in this area also addressed trafficking in human beings and countering discrimination against national minorities and/or when based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

New training programme on democratic schools and diversity accredited, Pristina, 11 August

Workshop on the resource pack and training of trainers for pilot schools anti-bullying team leaders, Durrës, 18-21 July

National Survey on Bullying and Violent Extremism in the Education System of Albania

A sample of 6907 interviewees comprising 2377 students, 3560 teachers and 970 parents were interviewed in this national survey during January-March 2017 to gain the whole picture of the problems related to bullying from different perspectives.

Report available in English and Albanian ›

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Council of Europe Office in Belgrade, Španskih boraca 3, 11 070 Belgrade, Serbia
Tel: + 381 11 71 555 00 horizontal.facility@coe.int

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.

Horizontal Facilty website

October-December 2017

HORIZONTAL FACILITY

Newsletter No. 4 | October-December 2017

Second meeting of the Horizontal Facility beneficiary co-ordinators

Participants discussed the current implementation of the “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey” in the six beneficiaries of the programme, indicating good practices and making recommendations for future improvements. Mr Ivan Ivanisevic of the Montenegrin Ministry of Foreign Affairs opened the meeting, stressing the importance of the synergy of the European Union and the Council of Europe in the region. He underlined the relevance of the projects implemented within the Horizontal Facility, particularly emphasising the support for further regional co-operation.

More information and photos ›

Ensuring justice

Recent activities include training prison staff and police officers, providing the first commentary to the European Convention on Human Rights in Serbian, harmonising court practice and improving legal co-operation in the region.

Clarifying the new roles of court presidents, chancellors, and legal advisors and legal assistants in Albania, 14 November

Launch of court users’ satisfaction surveys in Kosovo* in the basic Courts of Gjakova, Pristina, and Prizren, 15 November

Fight against corruption

Some of the recent activities under this theme include integrity plans helping prevent corruption in the judiciary and prosecution and a workshop on challenges in the verification of assets declarations. Conferences have been held on academic integrity and a roundtable on codes of conduct in higher education.

Academic integrity debated at the Montenegrin private University of Donja Gorica, 10 November

Montenegrin judges trained on ethical principles and prevention of conflict of interests, 29 November

Combating discrimination

Work in this area continues to support ombudspersons’ institutions, to promote inclusive education and a democratic school culture. There was a workshop on how labour inspectors can combat human trafficking for labour exploitation, training on anti-discrimination for judicary and training of gender officers from municipalities.

Anti-bullying open days in 21 pilot schools in Albania, 17-31 October

A review of the implemented distance-learning course on hate crime and hate speech, 14-15 November

New Publications

Our teams have produced leaflets in English and local languages for the victims of human trafficking to help them understand their rights and the support they should expect, and on their right to legal aid and compensation.

Visit the publications page ›

Expertise co-ordination mechanism

The Ministry of Interior in Montenegro submitted a request to the Council of Europe for an expert opinion regarding the harmonisation of its draft Law on

Foreigners with European human rights standards. An assessment was carried out between September and October 2017 that mainly focused on the aspects of the law relating to vulnerable groups of migrants, procedural guarantees and documentation issues. The expertise was provided by the Council of Europe’s Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration Issues. The opinion on the draft law was made available to the authorities in Montenegro in November 2017.

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Council of Europe Office in Belgrade, Španskih boraca 3, 11 070 Belgrade, Serbia
Tel: + 381 11 71 555 00 horizontal.facility@coe.int
This newsletter has been produced using funds of a joint programme between the European Union and the Council of Europe. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union or the Council of Europe.

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.

Horizontal Facilty website

January-March 2018

HORIZONTAL FACILITY

Newsletter no 5 | January-March 2018

Third steering committee meeting of the action Enhancing the protection of human rights of prisioners in Albania

The 3rd Steering Committee Meeting of our action Enhancing the protection of human rights of prisoners in Albania was held in Tirana on 31 January 2018 to evaluate the achieved progress and to approve the new plan of activities. The steering committee meeting was attended by the Head of Operations, the Program Manager for Democracy and Human Rights and the Human Rights Officer from the European Union Delegation in Tirana, the General Director of the Prison Administration, representatives from the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, National Preventive Mechanism, the Swedish Embassy and various ngos.

Ensuring justice

Some of the recent activities under this theme include a study visit to the German police force, the launch of our new action Enhancing human rights policing in Kosovo* and round tables on radicalisation in the penitentiary system, judicial reforms in Montenegro and prisoner's regime and risk categorisation.

Montenegro's Judicial Training Centre enjoys enhanced software solutions @shutterstock.com

Albanian legal professionals on a study visit to Council of Europe and the Court, 13-14 March 2018

Watch the video ›

Fight against corruption

Some of the activities under this theme included public forums and debates on plagiarism and academic integrity, trainings on how to tailor education plans for children with special needs and sessions for auditors on how to monitor election campaigns and political parties' financial reports.
A conference has been held on electoral reform in Albania, as well as an exchange between Serbian and Greek education officials on the inclusion of refugee children.

Public forum in plagiarism and academic integrity, 8 March 2018, Belgrade

Training on auditing reports templates for auditing experts, 23 February 2018,Tirana

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New action on education: Quality education in multi-ethnic societies

We're glad to present our new action on education in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Quality education in multi-ethnic societies, launched on 27 February 2018 in Sarajevo.

Learn more about our new action ›

Combating discrimination

Work on this area continues to enhance educator's knowledge on anti-bullying policies, engaging students and teachers through peer learning and to bring together the key players on human trafficking prevention. Trainings on protection against discrimination took place, a regional conference best practices on combating discrimination was held and teachers got together to integrate democracy and human rights in their lesson planing.

Peer learning workshop, 26-27 February 2018, Berane

Regional conference, 15-16 February 2018, Sarajevo

@Top Channel TV

Action against bullying makes national news in Albania

The European Union/Council of Europe joint actgion Fighting bullying and extremism in the education system in Albania has again gained the attention of the country's media. Ms. Tatjana Vucani, from the Albanian Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth, confirmed the findings of our national survey and the planned measures to be taken. This once again shows the ownership and commitment of the Ministry and the importance of our project for the national education system.

Watch the interview (in Albanian) ›

New publications

Our teams have produced a report on trafficking for the purpose of labour explotation in Serbia, with a particular focus on recommendations to trade unions, recruitment agencies and businesses (in Serbian), as well as an in-depth assessment of the judicial system in Kosovo*.

Visit the publications page ›

Expert co-ordination mechanism

A delegation of the European Commission for Democracy Through Law-Venice Commission visited Skopje as part of the preparation of an opinion on the draft law on prevention and protection against discrimination on 29-30 January 2018. The delegation exchanged views with representatives of the Ministry of Labour

and Social Policy, the Ministry of Justice, civil society, international organisations, the Ombudsman Office and members of both the National Assembly and of the Commission for protection against discrimination.

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Council of Europe Office in Belgrade, Španskih boraca 3, 11 070 Belgrade, Serbia
Tel: + 381 11 71 555 00 horizontal.facility@coe.int
This newsletter has been produced using funds of a joint programme between the European Union and the Council of Europe. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union or the Council of Europe.

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.

Joint Programme
Horizontal Facility II

Horizontal Facility I (2016-2019) - Newsletters

January-March 2017

April-June 2017

July-September 2017

October-December 2017

January-March 2018

April-June 2018

July-September 2018

October-December 2018

January-April 2019