Five pilot courts of Azerbaijan, including two appellate courts (Sumgayit and Sheki) and three first instance courts (Yasamal (district of Baku), Oghuz and Sumgayit administrative-economic court), are actively engaged in improving their own management and quality of services in line with recommendations of the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ). Following a court coaching programme led by CEPEJ experts and containing an in-depth analysis of the concerned courts’ performance, as well as capacity building activities and consultations on specific priorities, the Azeri pilot courts undertook a number of innovative steps to consolidate their efficiency and quality. Therefore, the courts analysed their own performance based on accurate statistical data, drew up activity reports including CEPEJ-recommended efficiency and quality indicators and put together action plans for institutional development. The courts conducted satisfaction surveys for users, lawyers and court employees, in a move to evaluate the quality of services from the perspective of their main beneficiaries and staff. The results of the surveys were also carefully analysed and objectives are being fixed in response to the concerns or needs exposed by the surveys. Finally, the pilot courts committed to improve their communication with the public and for this purpose some of them published relevant news on their webpages or released printed reports and bulletins.

In order to evaluate the above-mentioned achievements of the pilot courts, a team of CEPEJ experts conducted a mission to Azerbaijan on 6-8 February 2017. They met with representatives from the pilot courts, from the Ministry of Justice and the Judicial Legal Council. The pilot courts reported in detail on the implemented measures and their results. The achievements of the pilot courts will be carefully analysed by the experts and recommendations will be put forward to the judicial decision makers in view of further dissemination of the best court management practices and implementation of CEPEJ tools in all courts of Azerbaijan.   

These activities are part of the project "Support to Increased Efficiency of Courts, Improved Training of Judges and Judicial Self-governance in Azerbaijan", within the Joint CoE and EU Eastern Partnership Programmatic Cooperation Framework for 2015-2017, funded by the European Union and implemented by the Council of Europe.