New Communication Strategy for Judicial Council and Courts presented in Montenegro

15 April 2024 Podgorica

The Communication strategy of the Judicial Council and Courts for 2024 - 2026 and the 2024 Action Plan were presented to court presidents, press judges and the Judicial Council's members. The Strategy defines ways of communicating with public and media, contributing to greater accountability of...

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European Union and Council of Europe organise thematic discussion: “Upholding Journalistic Integrity: Safeguarding Journalists and Media Actors in North Macedonia”

15 April 2024 North Macedonia

A thematic discussion on "Upholding Journalistic Integrity: Safeguarding Journalists and Media Actors in North Macedonia," will be organised on 17 April 2024 in Hotel Aleksandar Palace, in the framework of the European Union and the Council of Europe joint action “Protecting freedom of expression...

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Supporting the role of local government on the treatment of property registration processes

11 April 2024 Albania

A series of three outreach monitoring activities were held, in the Municipalities of Librazhd (28 March) , Berat (3 April) and Malësi e Madhe (9 April), to collect data on the involvement of local government institutions in handling remaining key issues in property registration. Representatives...

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Montenegro: Beneficiaries Steering Committee approves a plan for the Freedom of Expression action in Montenegro

5 April 2024 Podgorica

The action “Protection of the freedom of expression and of the media in Montenegro (PRO-FREX)” held its Second Beneficiary Steering Committee in Podgorica on 5 April. In the light of recent expert support, by providing a Legal Opinion on three main laws regulating media in Montenegro, as well as...

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Zaštita novinara i novinarki u Bosni i Hercegovini

3 - 4. april 2024. godine Neum

Strateške tužbe protiv javnog učešća ili SLAPP tužbe, sredstvo su koje nosioci političke i ekonomske moći često koriste kao sredstvo pritiska na novinare i novinarke i medije. Ovo i druge učestale prijetnje usmjerene na novinare, uključujući i nasilje, te kako ih suzbiti, bile su teme dvodnevnog...

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Preduzeti koraci ka jačanju primjene standarda ljudskih prava u radu Ustavnih sudova

28 - 29. mart 2024. Podgorica

Savjetnici, savjetnice i sudije/sutkinje Ustavnih sudova Bosne i Hercegovine, Crne Gore, Hrvatske i Srbije, učestvovali su na regionalnom radnom sastanku radi razmjene iskustava i znanja o primjeni relevantnih standarda ljudskih prava u svakodnevnom poslu. Kao krajnji zaštitnik ljudskih prava na...

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Curricula working group of the State Institute for Education Improvement continues connecting Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture with national curricula in Serbia

26 – 28 March 2024 Vrdnik

In order to enhance the quality education for all and further align the formal education system of Serbia with democratic values, a dedicated task force successfully continued the process initiated with the national Guidelines, developed with the support of the European Union and the Council of...

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Building accountable and accessible judicial systems in the Western Balkans

January – March 2024 Western Balkans

A principal contribution of the Horizontal Facility programme is to enhance the accountability and access of the judicial systems in the Western Balkans Beneficiaries and, thus, ensure better protection of human rights, in line with the European values and the Council of Europe recommendations....

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Horizontal Facility new publications

January – March 2024 Western Balkans and Türkiye

Get to know the most recent publications developed and published under the Horizontal Facility programme! They were prepared to assist beneficiaries in the Western Balkans and in Türkiye, and to provide knowledge and valuable resources regarding protection of fundamental human rights in line with...

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Protecting freedom of expression and freedom of the media in the Western Balkans

January – March 2024 Western Balkans

The programme has been supporting the main actors in the Western Balkans regarding promotion and protection of freedom of expression and freedom of the media. In this context, beneficiaries’ institutions, civil society organisations or media associations have built their capacities and have...

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Ensuring quality education for all

January – March 2024 Western Balkans

The main goal of the Horizontal Facility education actions has remained unchanged since the beginning of the programme – nurturing inclusive, discrimination-free environment in schools, where democratic culture and education for democratic citizenship are equally valued by students, teachers,...

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Advancing the fight against human trafficking

January – March 2024 Western Balkans

Strengthening prevention of trafficking in human beings and ensuring identification, protection, and access to remedies for victims of trafficking are crucial for upholding standard human rights values. The programme continues to work closely with institutional partners and key actors in the...

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Supporting fight against discrimination and hate

January – March 2024 Western Balkans

The anti-discrimination actions in the Western Balkans continue to play a pivotal role in collective efforts of the public authorities and related actors to combat discrimination, racism, hate speech, and hate crimes. Through the provision of expertise, capacity building, and awareness raising...

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Transparent and efficient justice system, a necessity for a democratic society

January - March 2024 Western Balkans

Increasing transparency and efficiency of judiciary institutions through improved court management and performance constitutes a priority of the Horizontal Facility actions working in the field of justice. In this context, the Council of Europe is providing its expertise and key methodologies to...

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Protecting the rights of detained persons in the Western Balkans

January - March 2024 Western Balkans

Enabling equal protection of rights of everybody, and especially members of vulnerable groups, is in focus of the Horizontal Facility programme. Persons deprived of liberty represent one of the vulnerable groups whose rights are in need of better protection, and the knowledge and skills of...

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Empowering Legal Professionals from North Macedonia to safeguard journalists and freedom of expression

29 March 2024 Gevgelija

To uphold the principles of freedom of expression and protection of journalists, a capacity-building initiative was organised in Gevgelija gathering legal professionals from various backgrounds including judges, prosecutors, and lawyers. They worked together during the three-day training course...

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Law students in North Macedonia increase their knowledge on legal aid in criminal proceedings

27 March 2024 Skopje

In an effort to deepen students' understanding of legal aid in criminal proceedings, a lecture was held at the Legal Clinic for criminal law, located within the Faculty of Law "Iustinianus Primus" in Skopje, North Macedonia. 19 law students discussed and explored the crucial aspects of legal aid...

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Lawyers and legal professionals complete the HELP course on Combating Hate Speech and Hate Crime in Macedonian Language

26 MARCH 2024 Skopje

20 lawyers from the İstanbul Bar Association completed a two-day training on “Detention in the Context of Migration”, organised by the joint European Union/Council of Europe action on “Strengthening the human rights protection in the context of migration in Türkiye”, in co-operation with the...

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Albanian prison directors enhance their leadership and prison management skills

20 March 2024 Tirana

On 18-20 March, 20 prison Directors representing all the Albanian penitentiary institutions, attended a leadership and prison management training delivered by two Council of Europe international consultants and the Head of the Albanian Training Centre for prison staff. The training combined...

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Lawyers from İstanbul enhance their knowledge on “Detention in the context of migration”

23 – 24 March 2024 İSTANBUL

20 lawyers from the İstanbul Bar Association completed a two-day training on “Detention in the context of migration”, organised by the joint European Union/Council of Europe action on “Strengthening the human rights protection in the context of migration in Türkiye”, in co-operation with the...

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