News on ensuring justice
Sustaining progress: European Union and Council of Europe extend their commitment in Pristina to strengthen justice, fight discrimination and improve freedom of expression
The European Union and the Council of Europe have been providing tailor-made support to Kosovo* towards the advancement of strategic reforms in the areas of human rights and the rule of law and further alignment with relevant European standards. Thanks to the co-operation under the joint...
Institutions of Montenegro send a strong message of zero tolerance of all forms of ill-treatment and impunity
A roundtable, organised under the action “Enhancing human rights protection for detained and sentenced persons”, convened in Budva on 22 – 23 November, gathered key investigating bodies in Montenegro to identify systemic shortcomings and collaboratively explore optimal solutions for the...
60th anniversary of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Serbia marked in Belgrade
The joint European Union and Council of Europe action "Strengthening human rights protection in Serbia" supported the Constitutional Court in marking 60 years of its work. More than 100 participants, including representatives from constitutional courts across Europe, judge of the European Court...
Rehabilitation of violent extremist prisoners: practitioners from Western Balkans learn from the experience of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Representatives of the ministries of justice and prison administrations from Albania, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia visited the High Security State Prison and the Centre for Social Welfare - Municipality Jajce in Bosnia and Herzegovina to exchange good practices in preparation...
PRESS RELEASE
Improving court’s performance through user satisfaction surveys: new online system launched in Vlora
Court users in Vlora will now have the possibility to evaluate the quality and efficiency of Courts’ performance, based on their individual experiences. A web-based court user satisfaction system was presented today to key representatives from the justice institutions, civil society and media, in...
Court communication strategy and plans - tools that strengthen transparency and accountability of judiciary
Courts need to adapt to the stronger influences of the media and to new communication practices – this message was voiced at the gathering of members of Judicial Council, Supreme Court of Montenegro, press judges and staff members, in the context of the development of new communication policies...
Call for tenders: local consultants for supporting implementation of the action “Strengthening human rights protection in Serbia”
Within the framework of the joint European Union/Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”, the Council of Europe is currently implementing the action “Strengthening human rights protection in Serbia”. In that context, it is looking for 15 Providers to...
CEPEJ experts visiting pilot courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Following the first coaching session at the Sokolac first instance Court this summer, the experts of the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) visited two other pilot courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Brčko District Court (first instance) and the Cazin Municipal Court...
Fourth regional forum on harmonisation of judicial practice took place in Tirana
Promoting the harmonisation of domestic judicial practice and its relevance in ensuring legal certainty in accordance with the case law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) featured the 4th regional forum organised in Tirana in co-operation with Albanian High Judicial Council and the...
Increasing efficiency of courts and prosecution offices with informed decisions based on statistics
In the framework of the continuous assistance to the judicial authorities in enhancing the efficiency and quality of the justice system, the EU and Council of Europe KOSEJIII action in co-ordination with the Academy of Justice organised in Albania a capacity building activity for Court Presidents...
Call for tenders: international consultants for supporting implementation of the action “Strengthening human rights protection in Serbia”
Within the framework of the joint European Union/Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”, the Council of Europe is currently implementing the action “Strengthening human rights protection in Serbia”. In that context, it is looking for 16 Providers to...
Second Steering Committee Meeting of the action “Strengthening the human rights protection in the context of migration in Türkiye” held online
The second Steering Committee meeting of the joint European Union/Council of Europe action “Strengthening the human rights protection in the context of migration in Türkiye” was held on 27 October 2023 online. The meeting was opened by the Head of the Council of Europe Programme Office in Ankara,...
Photo Contest to mark the European Day of Justice in North Macedonia
Let’s bring JUSTICE closer to the citizens!
This year, the European Day of Justice in North Macedonia is marked with the organisation of a photo competition titled “Let’s bring justice closer to the citizens”. We are inviting youngsters (18-30 years old) from all the regions in North Macedonia to be part of this competition which aims...
What should citizens and local communities of North Macedonia know on the use of Free Legal Aid services? Awareness-raising activities organised in all regionsss-raising activities organised in all regions
In order to inform the people of North Macedonia on free legal aid opportunities and how to ensure better use and access to these services, an awareness-raising initiative took place between 16 July and 30 September 2023, with informative events in all regions of North Macedonia. The series of...
Agency for Treatment of Property in Albania capacitated to implement new legislation
In the framework of the EU and Council of Europe continuous assistance to relevant public authorities in Albania to further align the legislation and practice in the field of property rights with the European Court of Human Rights standards, a two-day workshop was organised in Korça with the...
Raising the capacities of penitentiary staff in North Macedonia through the development of a structured training system
A particular focus of the EU and Council of Europe joint support in North Macedonia is to assist public authorities in enhancing the prison reform, as well as the protection of prisoners’ human rights. In this framework, a group of experienced representatives from the Directorate for the...
Training on “Human rights and migration” and “How to convey children-friendly information to migrant children” held in Antalya
The first round of the training programme on “Human rights and migration” and “How to convey children-friendly information to migrant children” was held in Antalya between 18-20 September 2023. The three-day training was organised in the framework of the joint European Union/Council of Europe...
Empowering labour inspectors in North Macedonia to proactively identify and refer potential victims of human trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation
According to the official statistics, since 2017 there have been 43 formally identified victims of trafficking of human beings for the purpose of labour exploitation in North Macedonia, out of whom 37 were malе, including two children. In this context, labour inspectors and social workers play a...
Public discussions on amendments to the Law on the Right to Trial Within Reasonable Time organised as part of Serbia’s effort to execute the group of cases Kacapor and others
The joint European Union and Council of Europe action “Strengthening human rights protection in Serbia“ supported the Ministry of Justice of Serbia in organising roundtables as a part of the public discussion process aimed at adopting amendments to the Law on the Right to Trial Within Reasonable...
Medical and psycho-social staff capacitated to develop multi-disciplinary treatment plans for forensic patients
Twenty-four professionals from five prisons in Albania and representatives from the Directorate General of Prison Administration increased their capacities on how to provide an in-depth assessment for the development of a multi-disciplinary Individual Treatment Plan. Both medical and...