News
JUSTAT AIS a tool that will help Moldovan authorities to improve efficiency and transparency of courts
The launching of the JUSTAT Automated Information System (AIS) took place on 26 May 2023 in a public event to present this new tool, with the participation of the representatives of the national authorities, partners in charge of developing the tool, and the CEPEJ experts, Rado Brezovar...
Court coaching programme in pilot courts in Georgia launched
The court coaching programme of European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ), organised in the framework of the project “Support to the modernisation of court management in Georgia”, will begin with the experts visit from 23 to 25 May 2023 to two pilot courts: the Supreme Court of...
10 years of promoting and protecting equality in the Republic of Moldova
The international conference “Equality bodies: new standards, new challenges” marked the 10th anniversary and presented the main achievements of the Equality Council throughout a decade of its activity in the Republic of Moldova. The event brought to discussion the recent developments and...
The European Union and the Council of Europe to carry out joint projects for Armenia under the third phase of the Partnership for Good Governance (2023-2027)
New projects will be carried out in Armenia under the third phase of the EU/Council of Europe “Partnership for Good Governance (PGG)” programme in 2023-2027. The first Local Steering Committee meeting for these projects took place on Tuesday 23 May 2023, where the Delegation of the European Union...
Public discussions held under the framework of judicial reforms
Under the framework of ongoing judicial reforms, a series of public discussions related to the legislative amendments in respect to civil procedure, administrative procedure and criminal procedure legislations was organised by the joint EU/Council of Europe project “Support to the Justice Reform...
New joint projects for the Republic of Moldova presented by the European Union and the Council of Europe under the third phase of the Partnership for Good Governance (2023-2027)
New projects aimed at modernising the justice administration, facilitating access of women to justice, fighting economic crime, promoting equality and non-discrimination, as well as enhancing the effectiveness of anti-money laundering and terrorist financing were presented on Wednesday 26 April,...
New joint EU/Council of Europe projects for Georgia (2023-2027) presented in Tbilisi
New projects presented by the European Union and the Council of Europe at an event today will be carried out in Georgia under the third phase of the EU/CoE “Partnership for Good Governance (PGG III)” programme in 2023-2027. Four country-specific projects will be implemented in Georgia, with a...
The EU Delegation and the Council of Europe presented joint projects for Azerbaijan under the new phase of the Partnership for Good Governance (2023-2027)
On Tuesday 18 April 2023, the Delegation of the European Union and the Council of Europe presented new projects to be carried out in Azerbaijan under the third phase of the EU/CoE “Partnership for Good Governance (PGG III)” programme in 2023-2027. The presentation was a part of the first Local...
New project in the field of anti-corruption and anti-money laundering launched in Azerbaijan
The first Technical Committee Meeting was convened to launch a new project in the field of anti-corruption and anti-money laundering in Azerbaijan, within the third phase of the European Union and the Council of Europe Partnership for Good Governance Programme. The meeting brought together...
Taking stock of cooperation with the Police in the Republic of Moldova in the field of anti-discrimination
Throughout the last four years, the General Police Inspectorate of the Republic of Moldova has been close partner of the joint European Union and the Council of Europe (CoE) project “Strengthening access to justice through non-judicial redress mechanisms for victims of discrimination, hate crime...
Life story of a discrimination victim in Moldova: Insights from a documentary
Discrimination is a pervasive problem that can have far-reaching consequences for various segments of society. The video documentary entitled Life story of the victim of discrimination in the Republic of Moldova (available in Romanian with English subtitles) sheds light on the issue of...
Ensuring implementation of reforms in the antidiscrimination domain in Ukraine, in line with European standards
Partners from Ukraine gathered together with the Council of Europe and the European Union, taking stock of the previous years of cooperation in the anti-discrimination domain and its results. The event also enabled discussions about the prospect of reforms in the field of combating discrimination...
New project to fight money laundering and enhance the asset recovery regime launched in the Republic of Moldova
The Council of Europe and the European Union launched, in co-operation with national partners, the project "Enhancing the anti-money laundering and asset recovery regime in the Republic of Moldova", part of the third phase of the Partnership for Good Governance. The project’s kick-off and first...
134th plenary session of the Venice Commission: New opinions prepared under the Quick Response Mechanism adopted
At its 134th plenary session (held on 10-11 March 2023), the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe adopted, among others: the interim opinion on the draft law on de-oligarchisation of Georgia, previously examined by the Sub-Commissions on Democratic Institutions, Fundamental Rights and the...
Secretary General and EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement launch the Partnership for Good Governance III
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić and European Union Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi have launched on 27 February 2023 the “Partnership for Good Governance” (PGG) 2023-2027 as well as the “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” 2023-2026;...
Regional Project on Lawyers Concludes with the final Technical Committee meeting in Strasbourg
The Joint European Union and the Council of Europe regional project on strengthening the profession of lawyer in line with European standards in the Eastern Partnership countries held its final event on 27 February 2023 both remotely and in person in Strasbourg, France. The event which gathered...
Improving financial investigations to better fight economic crime in Armenia
The Armenian authorities have set the fight against corruption and other economic crimes as a top national priority, and undertaken major legislative and institutional reforms in this direction. These include the establishment of a dedicated chain of Law enforcement and criminal justice...
Integrity Officers to support the application of Rules of Conduct by public servants in Armenia
Following the adoption of the Model Code of Conduct for Public Servants in Armenia in 2022, the Corruption Prevention Commission has moved on to actively promote its application by all public institutions of the country, with support from the Council of Europe. The steps undertaken for the...
Conference marks successful completion of project in Azerbaijan
On 22 February 2023, the Council of Europe brought together in Baku around 100 participants including Azerbaijani state institutions, members of parliament, representatives from civil society and international organisations for the final event of the project “Raising awareness of the Istanbul...
Towards an improved cooperation between the Equality Council and the Judiciary in the Republic of Moldova
Representatives of the Equality Council and judges designated from the Superior Court of Justice, Chisinau Court and territorial judicial instances took part in an online roundtable “Fundamental rights in the context of war – freedom of expression and its limitations”. The exchange between the...
Closing event of the CEPEJ cooperation project in Azerbaijan
The closing event of the CEPEJ Project “Strengthening the efficiency and quality of the judicial system in Azerbaijan” implemented under the joint EU/CoE Partnership for Good Governance II programme (PGGII) took place on 21 February 2023. On this occasion, the representatives of the Ministry of...
Police officers from the Republic of Moldova trained to further improve data collection on hate crimes
Three online sessions were organized for police staff of the Republic of Moldova, with a focus on the developments and adjustments of the database on hate crimes, and related issues to be addressed when working on the disaggregated data collection. Sessions followed-up on the project support to...
Council of Europe concludes the four-year PGGII project on implementation of judicial reforms in Armenia
The final conference organised in Yerevan on February 21, marked the official completion of the Project "Implementation of the Judicial reforms in Armenia", implemented by the Council of Europe within the joint European Union and Council of Europe Partnership for Good Governance Programme...
Judges, prosecutors, and judicial staff build up knowledge on prohibition of discrimination
41 judges, prosecutors and judicial staff enhanced their knowledge on international standards on prohibition of discrimination, as well as on the national practice in terms of non-discrimination, during two training sessions held on 16 and 17 February 2023. The participants discussed about the...
Judges and prosecutors in Armenia enhanced their knowledge on combating hate speech
Twenty-five judges and prosecutors from Armenia have successfully completed the online training course on the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance’s General Policy Recommendation No.15 on Combating Hate Speech (GPR 15). The course, implemented from January to February 2023 consisted...
Trainings in Azerbaijan on court performance reporting according to CEPEJ tools and methodology
On 8 and 10 February 2023, the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) in cooperation with the Justice Academy of Azerbaijan organised two training sessions on court performance reporting according to its tools and methodology. The aim of the trainings was to develop a standard...
Armenian banks and payment institutions discuss risks related to virtual assets and how to address them
Representatives of the Central Bank of Armenia, including the Financial Monitoring Center of the Central Bank, and the private sector, in particular banks and payment institutions, participated in a workshop on “Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Risks related to Virtual Assets and the...
Eastern partnership countries discuss gender-related issues in the profession of lawyers
On 6 February an online event was organised to present the findings of the cross-country review of the impact of gender-related issues on the profession of lawyer and access to justice in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine. The event gathered 62 members of the Bar...
Manual on combating hate speech online supporting educators in Armenia
A “Manual on hate speech online for educators” in Armenian language was publicly presented in hybrid format, at the presence of representatives from the local schools, Yerevan municipality, Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport and representatives of Human Rights Defender’s office,...
Closing event of the CEPEJ project in Georgia
The closing event of the CEPEJ component of the project “Enhancing the accountability and the efficiency of the judicial system and the professionalism of lawyers” in Georgia implemented under the Partnership for Good Governance II (PGGII) was held on 3 February 2023. On this occasion the main...
The Moldovan Equality Council staff analysed their monitoring activity and gained new skills in the field
The staff of the Equality Council had the occasion to analyse their monitoring activity and learn new skills related to the monitoring mechanism during a workshop, which took place in Chisinau on 23-24 January 2023. Participants of the workshop discussed the goal and scope of the monitoring...
Prosecutors and judges from the Republic of Moldova increased their knowledge on the European standards and judgements addressing hate speech
A two-day seminar focusing on the way hate speech is addressed by the European Court of Human Rights’ jurisprudence brought together 22 prosecutors and judges from the Republic of Moldova. The program included discussions on the best legal practices in hate speech case handling and exchange...
An online course on combating hate speech for judges and prosecutors from Armenia was launched
The tutored online course on the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) General Policy Recommendation (GPR) No. 15 on combating hate speech was launched, with the participation of 18 judges and prosecutors in Armenia. The course hosted by the Council of Europe’s HELP...
Trainers of the National Institute of Justice enhanced their knowledge on adult training methodology
11 trainers of the National Institute of Justice attended 2 days sessions on adult training methodology on January 11-12, 2023. The training of trainers’ sessions tackled theoretical and practical aspects of andragogy. The participants learned and practised the ways of planning a training session...
How to do twinning projects (peer exchanges) in the field of violence against women and domestic violence?
A new tool has been prepared under the project “Raising awareness of the Istanbul Convention and other gender equality standards in Azerbaijan” to promote peer exchanges across institutions in the field of violence against women, domestic violence and gender equality and based on the Council of...
Istanbul Convention: Article 12 on preventing violence against women
In 2021, the project “Raising awareness of the Istanbul Convention and other gender equality standards in Azerbaijan” delivered a series of webinars dedicated to specific articles of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, known...
Istanbul Convention: Article 13 on raising awareness on violence against women
In 2021, the project “Raising awareness of the Istanbul Convention and other gender equality standards in Azerbaijan” delivered a series of webinars dedicated to specific articles of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, known...
Istanbul Convention: Article 16 on programmes for perpetrators of sexual and domestic violence
In 2021, the project “Raising awareness of the Istanbul Convention and other gender equality standards in Azerbaijan” delivered a series of webinars dedicated to specific articles of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, known...
Istanbul Convention: Article 52 on emergency barring orders in situations of domestic violence
In 2021, the project “Raising awareness of the Istanbul Convention and other gender equality standards in Azerbaijan” delivered a series of webinars dedicated to specific articles of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, known...
Azerbaijani law enforcement and judiciary enhance their knowledge on latest confiscation mechanisms
A workshop on the latest mechanisms for confiscation of proceeds from crime was organised for 39 prosecutors, investigators, judges, financial intelligence and other law enforcement practitioners in Azerbaijan. The workshop aimed to reinforce their knowledge and skills on the types and techniques...
Azerbaijan: Brochure on myths and facts on the Istanbul Convention
The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, known as the Istanbul Convention, aims to ensure all women can live a life free from violence. Nevertheless, many misconceptions still exist about its aim and objectives. This new brochure...
133rd plenary session of the Venice Commission: New opinions prepared under the Quick Response Mechanism adopted
At its 133rd plenary session (held on 16-17 December 2022), the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe adopted, among others: the amicus curiae brief for the Constitutional Court of Armenia on certain questions related to the Law on Confiscation of Property of Illicit Origin; held an exchange...
Study visit of Azerbaijani Ministry of Justice to Portugal
On 14-16 December 2022 the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) organised in cooperation with the Portuguese Order of solicitors and enforcement agents a three-days study visit for members of the Directorate General of Enforcement of the Ministry of Justice of Azerbaijan. The...
Taking a Case to the European Court of Human Rights: Armenian version of the book will help the legal practitioners to make their voices heard in a well-substantiated manner
Successful litigation at the European Court of Human Rights is not an easy task and requires from legal professionals some fundamental knowledge about the peculiarities of the application to the Court. Publication of the Armenian version of the book Taking a Case to the European Court of Human...
The representatives of the Equality Council of the Republic of Moldova exchanged experience with institutions from Romania on anti-discrimination practices
The study visit for the representatives of the Council for preventing and eliminating discrimination and ensuring equality of the Republic of Moldova (Equality Council) to institutions in the anti-discrimination field in Romania took place on 13-14 December 2022. Meetings with National Council...
Raising awareness on the rights of persons with disabilities in Armenia
On 14 December 2022 the regional EU/Council of Europe anti-discrimination project, part of the Partnership for Good Governance II 2019-2022, joined the Human Rights Defenders office of Republic of Armenia (HRDO), in a discussion focused on Combating discrimination based on disability and health...
Report on the framework to measure access to justice including specific challenges facing women: New languages available
New languages are available for the report of the online roundtable on “Framework to measure access to justice including specific challenges facing women”. The translations has been produced by joint EU-Council of Europe joint programme, Partnership for Good Governance II regional project on...
Presentation of HELP platform on the occasion of National Day of Lawyers in Armenia
On 8 December 2022, to mark the National Lawyers’ Day celebrated on 6 December in Armenia, the regional project on "Strengthening the Profession of Lawyer in Line with European Standards", in cooperation with Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) programme and the Chamber of...
Planning ahead with Ukraine partners, to strengthen responses to discrimination and enhance societal cohesion in difficult times
Throughout the last years, the Council of Europe No Hate Speech and Co-operation Unit has been cooperating with various national stakeholders in Ukraine within the thematic area of combating discrimination, hate crime and hate speech, and protecting rights of national minorities. Since 2019, two...
Combating hate speech in the media in the Republic of Moldova
The presentation of the Guide on combating hate speech in the media in the Republic of Moldova was organised by the joint European Union and the Council of Europe project “Strengthening access to justice through non-judicial redress mechanisms for victims of discrimination, hate speech and hate...
The Council of Europe keeps on working with judges on better application of the European Convention on Human Rights standards while adjudication of criminal cases
In co-operation with the High School of Justice, the Council of Europe and the European Union organised another series of seminars to familiarise judges with the latest case-law of the Supreme Court of Georgia and the European Court of Human Rights related to domestic violence, admissibility of...
Website of the Court of Cassation of Armenia launched and available online for public
A website of the Armenian Court of Cassation was developed with the support of the Council of Europe and is available online since November 2022. The Council of Europe has been working closely with the Armenian judiciary to facilitate the effective implementation of European human rights...
Lawyers and judges discussed the ways to improve their professional interaction
On 25 November an online event - joint meeting of judges and lawyers was organised to discuss the implementation of Consultative Council of European Judges (CCJE) Opinion no. 16 of 2013 on the relations between judges and lawyers. The event gathered participants from Armenia, Georgia, the...
CEPEJ mission to the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan to assess the case management, processing of cases and e-filing
From 23 to 25 November, the European Commission for the efficiency of justice (CEPEJ) conducted an experts’ mission in Baku with the aim to assess the work efficiency of the Supreme Court. A report with recommendations on the improvement of the case management, processing of cases and e-filing...
Trainers of the National Institute of Justice of the Republic of Moldova enhanced their knowledge on reasonable accommodation
8 trainers of the National Institute of Justice have broadened their knowledge on reasonable accommodation within an online training of trainers. The training session held on November 24th, focused on the international legal framework and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights...
EU and Council of Europe supported conference in Tbilisi to discuss areas for further improvement and ongoing reform of the criminal justice legal framework in Georgia
Protection of victims’ and other vulnerable persons’ rights, the system of pre-trial measures and conduct of investigative actions are the areas which should be paid special attention to during the ongoing criminal justice reform in Georgia, underlined participants of the high-level conference...
Impact of COVID 19 on women’s access to justice: what are the next steps?
What can states do to address persistent and emerging challenges and barriers women face when accessing justice? How can the Covid-19 pandemic incentivise legal professionals in the national justice systems to rethink and reshape national approaches to access to justice and gender equality? Join...
Judicial staff, judges and prosecutors enhanced their knowledge on national and international standards on an effective remedy and the prohibition of discrimination
52 judges, prosecutors, and judicial staff have broadened their knowledge on international and national standards on non-discrimination within two online training sessions. Training sessions held on November 7’th and November 9’th, focused on the international legal framework and the case law of...
Discussion on the Opinion No. 24 (2021) of the CCJE on the evolution of the Councils for the Judiciary and their role in independent and impartial judicial systems
To highlight the competence, tasks, organisation and composition as well as resources at the disposal of the Councils for the Judiciary the Consultative Council of European Judges (CCJE) adopted landmark Opinion No. 24 in 2021. The Opinion discusses the legitimacy and accountability of the...
Study visit of Georgian courts to The Netherlands
On 25-27 October 2022, the Council of Europe European Commission for the efficiency of justice (CEPEJ) organised a three-days study visit of Georgian court managers from the Supreme Court of Georgia, Zugdidi and Rustavi Regional Courts and Tbilisi Court to the courts of Amsterdam, The Hague and...
Workshop on risk-based regulation and supervision of the virtual assets sector in Armenia
Representatives of the Central Bank of Armenia, including the Financial Monitoring Centre within the Central Bank, participated in a workshop on risk-based Anti-Money Laundering/Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) regulation and supervision in the area of virtual assets, organised in...
Republic of Moldova: banning the display of symbols used by Russia’s army in Ukraine is legitimate and proportional, says Venice Commission
In the context of the war, the ban on the display of certain symbols used by the Russian armed forces during its invasion of Ukraine adopted by the Moldovan Parliament in April 2022 respects the requirements of legality, legitimacy and proportionality, according to an opinion adopted by the...
Collecting equality data, developing policies and guidance among peers: Equality bodies across South/East Europe equipped with new tools to address hate speech
The third and the final workshop on “Addressing hate speech through improving data collection” for equality bodies from Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership region took place on 18-19 October 2022, in Strasbourg. As the previous two events on this subject this year (June, July 2022), but...
CEPEJ visited Baku with the aim to analyse the provision of mediation services in Azberbaijan
From 17 to 19 October 2022, the European Commission for the efficiency of justice (CEPEJ) conducted a fact-finding mission in Baku with the aim to analyse the current situation and discuss how to provide support for improving mediation based on CEPEJ Guidelines and various tools dealing with...
Judiciary of the Court of Cassation of Armenia continue enhancing their knowledge and skills on the new criminal legislation of the country
Judges, experts and judicial assistants of the Court of Cassation of Armenia participated in the two-day workshop on “Selected issues of new Criminal (CC) and Criminal Procedure Codes (CPC) of Armenia” organised on 5-6 October in Yerevan. The objective of the workshop was to introduce the...
Discussion held on the review of the codes of conducts for lawyers
On 23 September an online event was organised to present the findings of the cross-country review of the codes of conducts of lawyers in Armenia, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine. The event gathered the members of the Bar Associations, judges, and other national authorities’...
Workshop on comparative solutions and good practices for Financial Intelligence Units on strategic and operational analysis
Representatives of the Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) of the beneficiary countries participated in the international workshop on “Comparative Solutions and Good Practices for Financial Intelligence Units on Strategic and Operational Analysis” organised by the Economic Crime and Cooperation...
Education and awareness responses to hate speech in Georgia
Representatives of the Public Defender’s office, Prosecutor’s office, Central election commission, education and training practitioners, various human rights, and minority civil society organisations in Georgia, participated in a roundtable that focused on the role of awareness-raising,...
Promoting non-discrimination during wartime in Ukraine
The joint project “Strengthening the access to justice through non-judiciary redress mechanisms for victims of discrimination, hate crime and hate speech in Eastern Partnership countries,” awarded two grants to civil society organisation in Ukraine in 2021. Their aim was to support victims of...
Investigators and prosecutors of Armenia enhanced their knowledge and skills on the new criminal and procedural legislation of Armenia
In co-operation with the Justice Academy in Yerevan, four two-day training seminars on “Selected issues of the new Criminal (CC) and Criminal Procedure (CPC) Codes of Armenia” were organised for investigators and prosecutors of Armenia in July and August 2022. The objective of the training...
Promoting equality and non-discrimination in the Republic of Moldova
The joint project "Strengthening the access to justice through non-judiciary redress mechanisms for victims of discrimination, hate crime and hate speech in Eastern Partnership countries" awarded two grants to civil society organisations in the Republic of Moldova, aimed at increasing access to...
Georgia: Draft surveillance law adopted hastily, needs further elaboration, finds Venice Commission opinion
The draft law amending Georgia’s procedure for the use of covert investigative measures was adopted in a hasty procedure and requires both impact assessment and more detailed justification, according to an urgent opinion from the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission of legal and constitutional...
Staff of the Representative of the Republic of Armenia before the European Court of Human Right enhanced their knowledge and skills on the new criminal legislation of Armenia
During the two-day training seminar on “Selected issues of new Criminal and Criminal Procedure Codes of Armenia,” 16 participants had the opportunity to acquire new skills on judicial review, peculiarities of conducting certain types of proceedings, judicial safeguards of pre-trial proceedings,...
Promoting equality in Armenia through cooperation with civil society organisations
The joint project "Strengthening the access to justice through non-judiciary redress mechanisms for victims of discrimination, hate crime and hate speech in Eastern Partnership countries," awarded two grants to Armenian NGOs in 2021, related specifically to support victims of discrimination in...
The integrity of Moldovan self-administrative bodies of judges and prosecutors supported through enhanced open-source investigation
Responding to a country-specific request from the pre-vetting Secretariat of the Republic of Moldova, the joint European Union, and Council of Europe regional project “Strengthening measures to prevent and combat economic crime” offered a training on open-source investigation and web crawling to...
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