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 (PGGII).
The event brought together over 50 beneficiaries and project partners, including high-level national officials of the Ministry of Justice, Constitutional Court, Court of Cassation, Supreme Judicial Council, Office of the Prosecutor General, Justice Academy, Investigative Committee, Chamber of Advocates, Office of the Representative of the Republic of Armenia on International Legal Matters, and many others.
The conference allowed the national authorities and experts with a wide range of backgrounds, to evaluate the progress of the current justice reform and to mark the joint achievements of the Project, as well as to exchange on the way forward.
In particular, the participants of the conference commended the important progress made in the criminal justice field, such as the entry into force of the new Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code of Armenia in 2022, elaborated with the extensive expertise of the Council of Europe. The new legal framework provides for a criminal justice system which is more humane, offers enhanced guarantees of the protection of the rights and legitimate interests of those involved in the criminal proceedings, based on the European human rights standards. The participants highlighted the importance of the Council of Europe contribution to the elaboration of the Judicial and Legal Reforms Strategy for 2022-2026, adopted in July 2022. In the same vein, the revised Judicial Code and the performance evaluation system of judges were noted as crucial steps towards more accountable judiciary.
The conference ended with a commitment to continue support and cooperation on the way towards further progressive transformations in the justice sector in Armenia.
The Project "Implementation of the Judicial reforms in Armenia", was implemented by the Council of Europe during the period 2019-2023 within the joint European Union and Council of Europe Partnership for Good Governance Programme (PGGII). It consisted of two components 1) “Support to the judicial reform – enhancing the independence and professionalism of the judiciary in Armenia”, and 2) “Supporting the criminal justice reform and harmonising the application of European standards in Armenia”.
