Work in this thematic area focuses on prisons and police (including human rights in policing, healthcare in prisons and safeguards against torture and ill-treatment), human rights standards in the judiciary (focusing on enhancing the application of case-law of the European Court of Human Rights), the efficiency of justice systems (with a focus on analysing judicial statistics to optimise court administrations) and/or legal co-operation (which concentrate on increasing the individual independence of judges and prosecutors and the accountability of the judicial system).

Back Training in Niš supports further harmonisation of judicial practice in Serbia

Niš, Serbia 11 June 2026
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Training in Niš supports further harmonisation of judicial practice in Serbia

Judges, judicial assistants and court staff of the Higher Court in Niš strengthened their capacities in using Serbia’s electronic case-law database during a specialised training organised on 11 June 2026, aimed at supporting more consistent judicial practice and enhancing legal certainty.

Delivered by a Council of Europe expert, the training focused on the practical application and technical functionalities of the electronic case-law database, highlighting its importance as a tool for promoting the harmonisation of judicial practice.

During the first part of the training, court staff responsible for entering decisions into the database were introduced to functionalities related to uploading and categorising court decisions, adding descriptors and references, linking related cases, and uploading legal opinions and court bulletins. The second session was dedicated to judges and judicial assistants and focused on advanced search options, the use of descriptors and keywords, and the role of accessible and harmonised case-law in ensuring legal certainty, predictability and efficiency of judicial proceedings.

The training in Niš was the third in a series of four trainings organised across Serbia with the aim of strengthening the use of the electronic case-law database and supporting the further harmonisation of judicial practice.

The activity was organised within the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye, under the action “Strengthening legal culture in Serbia and the capacities of the judicial and prosecutorial councils”.

Actions under theme i: ensuring justice
  • Strengthening the quality and efficiency of justice in Albania - Phase III  
  • Supporting enforcement of judicial decisions and facilitating execution of ECtHR judgments in Albania           
  • Enhancing the protection of human rights of prisoners in Albania  
  • Strengthening human rights treatment of detained persons based on European standards and best practices in Bosnia and Herzegovina  
  • Strengthening the quality and efficiency of justice in Kosovo* -  Phase II  
  • Accountability of the judicial system in Montenegro - Phase II  
  • Improved procedural safeguards in judicial proceedings in Montenegro  
  • Further enhancing human rights protection for detained and sentenced persons in Montenegro  
  • Strengthening independence and accountability of the judiciary in Serbia  
  • Strengthening the effective legal remedies to human rights violations in Serbia  
  • Enhancing the human rights protection for detained and sentenced persons in Serbia  
  • Supporting enhanced access to higher quality Free Legal Aid services in North Macedonia  
  • Enhancing the capacities of the penitentiary system and the external oversight mechanism in North Macedonia                                                                                                                                                                                                 
  • Supporting the implementation and reporting on the Action Plan on Human Rights in Turkey  
  • Judicial training institutes for Quality and Sustainability in the Western Balkans 
  • Initiative for legal certainty in the Western Balkans  
  • Enhancing penitentiary capacities in addressing radicalisation in prisons in the Western Balkans  
  • Towards a better evaluation of the results of judicial reform efforts in the Western Balkans  
  • Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) in the Western Balkans 
  • PACE cooperation with the parliamentary assemblies with a view to achieving legislative improvements in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Serbia 

*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.