News
Promoting European values with the Young European Ambassadors and Equality Ambassadors in Georgia
Representatives from the Council of Europe Office in Georgia and the Delegation of the European Union to Georgia co-hosted a meeting with Georgian Young European Ambassadors (YEAs). These YEAs had recently completed a series of online and in-person regional training sessions on promoting equality...
Supporting the reduction of backlog in Georgian courts through workshops on dedicated CEPEJ tool
The court coaching programme of European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) continued from 16 to 17 May 2024, representatives from the Batumi City court attended a two-day workshop on the CEPEJ Backlog reduction tool. The workshop aimed to introduce the court representatives to the...
The European Union and the Council of Europe continue supporting domestic reforms in Georgia through the Partnership for Good Governance
The European Union and the Council of Europe met with representatives from national authorities and beneficiary institutions during the Local Steering Committee of the Partnership for Good Governance. Participants took stock of the programme results achieved in 2023. They exchanged views on...
The Council of Europe and the European Union support the introduction of a continuous legal education system for prosecutors in Georgia
On February 23, 2024, the Council of Europe completed a series of capacity development activities for the General Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia to advance its internal training competences. As a result of the four rounds of training, 32 prosecutors gained knowledge about the basic principles,...
New national studies on women's access to justice in the Eastern Partnership countries available
Policy-makers, judges, prosecutors, legal professionals, as well as representatives of academia and civil society can now benefit from updated national studies “Barriers, remedies and good practices on women’s access to justice” for Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine. The...
Young European Ambassadors sending a loud and clear message from Budapest: Say NO to hatred!
More than 50 Young European Ambassadors (YEAs) got introduced to methods on how to effectively address hate speech and discrimination. This will enable the YEAs to make a difference in their communities through the promotion of equality and diversity, ultimately contributing to combating hate...
137th Plenary session of the Venice Commission: New opinions prepared under the Quick Response Mechanism
At its 137th plenary session (held on 15-16 December 2023), the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe adopted, among others: Armenia Joint opinion of the Venice Commission and the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI) of the Council of Europe on the Concept Paper...
Annual Court Managers' Forum organised in Georgia
The eighth annual Court Managers’ Forum was organised on 16-17 December, aiming at equipping court managers with practical and organisational skills, resulting to a more efficient court system in Georgia. The event was attended by 24 court managers from all the regions, and it serves as a...
Towards a nation-based definition of hate speech based on Council of Europe standards
Georgian stakeholders with a role in combating hate speech took part in a clarificatory workshop on the definition of hate speech. The workshop aimed at initiating discussions among stakeholders about the importance of defining hate speech and incorporating it into the relevant codes of conduct...
Enhancing Judicial Data Management in Georgia: training and preparation of a methodology for statisticians
The European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) organised a training session for court statisticians involved in data collection in Georgian courts. This training was an occasion to present all the issues involved in data collection: ways to harmonise, systematise and check the...
Launching the third cycle of women’s access to justice mentoring programme in Georgia
An event hosted by the Prosecutor General’s Office of Georgia was held to mark the start of the third cycle of the mentoring programme on women’s access to justice for legal professionals. The event also marked the finalisation of the second cycle that resulted in another generation of...
Second visit of CEPEJ experts to pilot courts within the court coaching programme in Georgia
The court coaching programme of the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) continues with the second visit to the Supreme Court of Georgia and the Rustavi Municipal Court, as well as with the first visit to two other pilot courts: the Zugdidi District Court and the Batumi...
Launch of a hybrid learning activity on combating hate speech based on Council of Europe’s standards
The Council of Europe launched a hybrid training course with representatives from different state institutions, Public Defenders office and civil society organisations on ECRI General Policy Recommandation No. 15 on combating hate speech. The opening session of the course took place on 12...
Human Rights narratives to counter hate speech in Georgia
The Council of Europe organised a training course on Human Rights narratives in response to hate speech, gathering representatives from different state institutions, Public Defenders office and civil society organisations. The course aimed at building the competencies of multipliers communication...
Young European Ambassadors in the forefront of the fight against hate speech
The new generation of the Young European Ambassadors continues to play a fundamental role in the fight against hate speech in the Western Balkan and the Eastern Partnership regions. In a series of online workshops, more than 50 Young Eurоpean Ambassadors completed the training programme on...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
The Insurance Sector and financial intelligence unit in Georgia advance cooperation for effective compliance against economic crime
In cooperation with the Insurance State Supervision Service of Georgia, a two-day training on “Anti-money laundering/countering financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) compliance” was organised specifically designed for the insurance sector. The training was part of a series of activities to support the...
Georgian law enforcement agencies improve their skills on economic crime cases through training sessions
Representatives of law enforcement agencies in Georgia participated to the training on corporate criminal liability, organised in a hybrid format on 2-3 June 2022 in co-operation with the Office of the Prosecutor General of Georgia. This event is a part of series of activities designed to support...
Addressing hate speech through improving data collection in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership Region
The joint network of equality bodies working in the field of combatting hate speech delivered the first of the four planned workshops on “Addressing hate speech through improving data collection”. The activity aimed at ensuring a practical exchange between equality bodies/Ombudsperson...
Contributing to the efforts of Georgian authorities to implement recommendations on anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism through trainings for accountants and auditors
In co-operation with the Service for Accounting, Reporting and Auditing Supervision of Georgia (SARAS), two online trainings on “Anti-money laundering/countering financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) compliance” on 27 and 29 April 2022. The trainings contributed to the efforts by Georgian authorities...
Priorities and challenges for the asset declaration regime in Georgia identified with the support of our anti-corruption project in the country
The management team of the Civil Service Bureau (CSB), under the guidance of the project “Enhancing the systems of prevention and combating corruption, money laundering and terrorist financing in Georgia,” discussed during a workshop the effective implementation of the asset declaration regime...
Public officials of Kakheti region trained to combat corruption
In cooperation with the State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG), we organised on April 14-15 an awareness-raising training on “Fighting Corruption” for municipal public officials from the Region of Kakheti, in Georgia. The leading trainers of the sessions were staff of the SSG’s Anti-corruption...
Testimonial of Nikoloz Chinkorashvili from Local Steering Commitee meeting in Georgia
Testimonial of Nikoloz Chinkorashvili, Unit of European Integration and cooperation with International Organization, General Prosecutor's Office of Georgia, from Local Steering Commitee meeting in Georgia
The Council of Europe and the European Union Delegation presented the state of implementation of the joint projects in Georgia in 2021 and PGG activities planned for 2022
The European Union and Council of Europe joint programme Partnership for Good Governance II 2019-2022 (PGG) held the third Steering Committee meeting for Georgia on Friday 11 March in online format. The aim of the meeting was to present the state of implementation and the results of the programme...
Speak peace, be the change!
In English With Romanian subtitles "Speak peace! Hate speech is not an option" explores the concepts of hate speech, its manifestations, its risks for human rights and democracies. This booklet was developed for any person, civil society organisations and others who feel the need to...
Presentation of the report on remote Court Hearings in Criminal Cases in Georgia
On 10 February 2022, the Report "Remote Court Hearings in Criminal Cases in Georgia" prepared by João Arsénio de Oliveira, expert of the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) and chairman of the CEPEJ Working group on quality of Justice, was presented to justice professionals,...
Law enforcement agencies exposed to the best practices for the efficient investigation and prosecution of terrorist financing
This two-day training on “Investigation and Prosecution of Terrorist Financing Cases” was organised by the Council of Europe in cooperation with the State Security Service of Georgia. The activity, delivered in “hybrid” format with the online contribution of international Council of Europe...
Advancing the counternarratives on hate speech with Eastern Partnership and Western Balkans equality bodies
The representatives from the network of equality bodies engaged on combating hate speech in the Eastern Partnership and Western Balkans region held their conclusive meeting online on 17 January 2022. They tackled the work and the key results during a year long of modules to improve the response...
Online training for accountants and auditors on anti-money laundering/countering financing of terrorism compliance and the risks associated with the sector
The European Union-Council of Europe joint project, in co-operation with the Service for Accounting, Reporting and Auditing Supervision (SARAS), organised the online training “Anti-money laundering/countering financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) compliance for accounting/auditing sector”. The...
The importance of the combat against corruption stressed in awareness raising meetings for representatives of the state institutions and local municipalities in Georgia
In cooperation with the State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG), two awareness raising events on “Fighting against Corruption” were organised for the representatives of state institutions and local municipalities. The discussions were led by the staff of the SSSG Anti-corruption Agency,...
Law enforcement agencies trained on the special investigative intelligence gathering techniques in the fight against corruption, money laundering and terrorist financing
In cooperation with the Office of the Prosecutor General of Georgia, the joint European Union-Council of Europe project, organised a two-day training on “Special Investigative Techniques and Intelligence Gathering.” This training was held with the online contribution of Council of Europe...
Court Manager’s Forum in Georgia
Court managers from the country’s courts have attended the forum held on 26-27 November. Through this two-day forum, participants had the possibility to follow-up on developments related to the electronic case management rule of the Courts and the definition of the next steps towards its...
Launch of the report “Systemic mapping of national responses to hate speech in Georgia”
What is the impact of hate speech on the society, what challenges it poses and how can they be effectively addressed? What means of redress, tools and actions are available to victims? What is the role played by different state and private actors in addressing hate speech? These are among the key...
Partners and stakeholders of our project to counter economic crime agree on continued co-operation during the third Steering Committee Meeting
The third Steering Committee Meeting of the European Union-Council of Europe Partnership for Good Governance II project “Enhancing the systems of prevention and combating corruption, money laundering and terrorist financing in Georgia” was organised on 17 November 2021. The project is one of...
Georgian Anti-corruption Agency staff trained to train public servants on corruption prevention
The Council of Europe in cooperation with the State Security Service of Georgia organised a training of trainers on “Corruption Prevention in the Public Sector”, for the staff of the Anti-Corruption Agency within the State Security Service. The trainers trained in this occasion will, in turn,...
Supporting equality bodies from the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership regions to address hate speech
The European Union and the Council of Europe, through their partnership continue their work to reinforce the capacities of equality bodies from the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership regions to address hate speech. On 13 September, a new e-learning tool was launched and a pilot group of...
A new manual to ease individuals’ access to Constitutional Justice in Georgia available now
Constitutional Court’s case law on admissibility criteria has been compiled and analysed in the manual "Constitutional Complains' Admissibility Standards." It is the first manual of its kind, and its’ aim is to guide individuals, citizens, civil society representatives and other potential parties...
Supreme Court Judges of Georgia enhance their knowledge on economic crime adjudication
An online workshop on “Best practices of adjudication of money laundering and other economic crime cases” was organised together with the Supreme Court of Georgia for the judges of the Chamber of Criminal Cases of the Supreme Court of Georgia, with direct contribution from an international...
Presentation of the Analysis on how CEPEJ methods can be applied on judicial statistics in Georgia
The European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) organised an online seminar to present the analysis of existing data and statistical reporting processes to demonstrate the use of CEPEJ methods to guide and support policy and managerial capacity required for the creation of...
Georgian currency exchange bureaus trained to detect and prevent money laundering and terrorism financing in their daily business
The Council of Europe in cooperation with the Financial Monitoring Service of Georgia (FMS - Financial Intelligence Unit of Georgia) organised a two-day online training on “Anti-money laundering/countering financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) compliance for currency exchange bureaus”. In addition to...
Webinar on reasonable length of proceedings and case backlog in Georgian courts
A second webinar, part of a series dedicated to “Judicial proceedings within reasonable time”, was held on 3 June 2021. Its aim was to present Council of Europe European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) timeframes in conformity with Article 6 of the European Convention of Human...
Georgian authorities discuss how to identify and manage conflict of interests and assess corruption risks in the public sector
The Council of Europe in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice of Georgia (MOJ) organised a two-day workshop on “Corruption Prevention in the Public Sector”. The workshop aimed at supporting the transition of the Anti-Corruption Council Secretariat to the Administration of the Government of...
Georgian translation of the ECRI factsheet on LGBTI issues now available
The ECRI factsheet on LGBTI issues summarises recommendations made by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) to safeguard and protect the human rights of LGBTI persons. The factsheet includes sections on the Legal framework, Data collection, research and policy framework,...
Georgia: Joint Opinion of the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR on the amendments to the Election Code of Georgia
The Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR issued their urgent joint opinion on the draft amendments to the Election Code of Georgia, following an urgent request for assistance by the then Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, Mr Archil Talakvadze, addressed to the OSCE/ODIHR on 9 March 2021....
Georgia: Urgent Opinion on the amendments to the Organic law on Common Courts (appointment of Supreme Court judges) issued by Venice Commission
The Venice Commission in its urgent opinion welcomes the amendments to the Organic Law of Georgia on Common Courts, which have taken into account several of its previous recommendations. Nevertheless, there are a number of outstanding recommendations that should be considered in order to ensure...
Training on financial investigation for Georgian law enforcement
The Council of Europe in cooperation with the Office of the Prosecutor General of Georgia organised a two-day training on “Financial investigation of money laundering/financing of terrorism cases”. The activity was delivered in “hybrid” format with the online involvement of international Council...
#JusticeForAll campaign launched in Georgia to promote access to justice free of visible and invisible barriers
Access to justice is a fundamental prerequisite for the protection of basic human rights by citizens. To improve access to justice means to tackle existing inequalities and provide quality services to all, notwithstanding their gender, ethnicity, race, identity, age, social condition or physical...
Concluding the series of discussions to enhance the quality of justice in Georgia
Evening Talks, a series of online discussions aiming at contributing to the quality of improvement of the justice system in Georgia concluded with its final session held on 18 April. This series created an online platform promoting different policy papers, guidelines, and documents developed by...
Interactive online tool of the checklist on gender mainstreaming law school’s curricula available now in seven languages
There is an urgent need for tools and support networks on gender mainstreaming academia, particularly in view of the impact of Covid-19 on women’s rights and the rising anti-gender sentiments and opposition in several European countries. We have therefore developed an interactive tool of the...
Join our online peer discussions for practitioners working on equality issues in the Eastern Partnership countries
Equality and non-discrimination are very relevant topics for the Eastern Partnership countries, and the possibility to have regional exchange regarding problems, solutions and promising practices is an opportunity for the professional development and getting motivation for further work. Our...
Evening talks on 14 April: the series of discussions to enhance the quality of justice in Georgia
This session is a series of online discussions under the name Evening talks aiming at contributing to the quality improvement of the justice system in Georgia. The online programme creates a platform promoting different policy papers, guidelines, and documents developed by the Council of Europe...
Using a human right-based language in responding to hate speech: a challenge for equality bodies across Europe
Equality bodies need to make strong efforts in nowadays’ Europe to respond to hate speech in the framework of their mandate. This is particularly important considering the increased use of social media, forms and levels of hatred present on the social media, as well as in the public space. The...
Georgia: Reform for elections, political associations and parliament rules should be “reconsidered”, according to Venice Commission
In a joint opinion, requested in December 2020 by the Chairperson of the Parliament of Georgia and adopted at the latest plenary of the Venice Commission (19-20 March 2021), the OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission call on Georgia to reconsider several amendments to the Election Code, the Law on...
Online training on Council of Europe standards to combat hate speech in Georgia
Participants from institutions and organisations in Georgia will be trained through online courses on Council of Europe standards to combat hate speech. The aim of these courses is to increate understanding of hate speech, its forms, its causes and consequences. Participants will also learn about...
Evening talks: the series of discussions to enhance the quality of justice in Georgia
A series of online discussions under the name “Evening talks”, aiming at contributing to the quality improvement of the justice system in Georgia, continues during the month of March. The online programme creates a platform promoting different policy papers, guidelines, and documents developed by...
Speak peace, be the change!
A new publication on hate speech, produced within co-operation programmes of the European Union and the Council of Europe, is now available online. "Speak peace! Hate speech is not an option" explores the concepts of hate speech, its manifestations, its risks for human rights and democracies....
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