News
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...
National authorities in Azerbaijan strengthen capacities towards effective implementation of targeted financial sanctions
Targeted financial sanctions are a key tool to prevent and suppress the financing of terrorism and proliferation. Azerbaijan has enhanced their efforts in this area, by adopting a new law on targeted financial sanctions and developing guidelines for its effective implementation. With the aim to...
New platform for dialogue on preventing and combating discrimination in the Republic of Moldova
A platform for dialogue and cooperation on preventing and combating discrimination was created among Police and the Equality Council in the Republic of Moldova at the occasion of the workshop “Practical aspects of investigating cases of discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes in the Republic...
Combating hate speech through human rights education in Armenia
Two online training sessions on “Combating hate speech through human rights education” for educators and youth workers in Armenia, raised awareness on hate speech and on the importance of promoting a human rights education in their work, both in the formal and non-formal systems. The first online...
Creation of a law enforcement institutions and Civil Society Organisations network to tackle racism and discrimination
A network comprised of law enforcement institutions and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) from the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership regions was launched on 24 October. The creation of this network aims to improve the response of law enforcement institutions to hatred and discrimination,...
Coming Out Day Fest 2023: Changing negative attitudes toward LGBTI persons in the Republic of Moldova
The Coming Out Day Fest, is a thematic event aiming to raise awareness of the human rights situation for LGBTI persons in the Republic of Moldova and combat homophobia, transphobia and biphobia through artistic and cultural events. The fifth edition of the festival was held on 6-11 October. An...
136th Plenary session of the Venice Commission: New opinions prepared under the Quick Response Mechanism
At its 136th plenary session (held on 6-7 October 2023), the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe adopted, among others: Armenia: the joint Opinion of the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR on the draft amendments to the Electoral Code and related legislation Republic of Moldova: the...
Police officers trained on investigation of hate crimes in line with European standards
Hate speech, incitement to violence and discrimination can escalate into further, more severe forms of violence. That is why a prompt and professional intervention of investigative agents and competent legal institutions is vital for preventing and combating the phenomenon of hatred and its...
Combating discrimination and hate speech as law enforcement: a training for the National Police of Ukraine
According to the Committee of Ministers: "member States should make available effective and targeted training programmes for all those involved in preventing and combating hate speech, including the members and staff of law-enforcement services, security forces, prosecution services, the...
The guide “Combating hate speech in the media in the Republic of Moldova” available now in English, Romanian and Russian
An increasing number of cases of hate speech and discrimination in the public space and the media in the Republic of Moldova has been registered according to the monitoring reports of the non-governmental organisation PROMO-LEX Association. The guide “Combating hate speech in the media in the...
Joint efforts in combating hate speech, sexism and other forms of gender-based violence in elections in the Republic of Moldova
Over 60 people, representing electoral management bodies, local authorities, non-governmental organisations, anti-discrimination stakeholders, mass-media and potential voters gathered at a round-table aimed at building a common platform for discussions on the importance of preventing and...
Strengthening dialogue on equality between the Ombudsperson’s Office and civil society organizations in Azerbaijan
Representatives of nine civil society organisations (CSOs) working with and/or representing vulnerable groups in Azerbaijan and the Office of Ombudsperson of the Republic of Azerbaijan exchanged at a working-level meeting to explore possible ways to improve coordination and identify potential...
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...
Building a common understanding of the hate speech phenomenon and data collection in Ukraine
An online round table, first from a series of events planned, brought together more than 40 representatives of state institutions, civil society organisations and networks in Ukraine. The participants discussed challenges in defining hate speech, possible actors that should be involved with the...
Listening local needs, ahead of supporting vulnerable groups against hatred at local level in the Republic of Moldova
Hate speech and hate crime are phenomena faced by many individuals and communities, especially the most vulnerable in the society. Hate and incitement to it is spreading throughout Europe, the Republic of Moldova being no exception. Those more vulnerable in the society, such as Roma community...
Advancing prosecution and adjudication of money laundering cases in Azerbaijan
Bilateral meetings were organised with national authorities in Azerbaijan to advance the prosecution and adjudication of money laundering and asset recovery cases. Discussions were held with the Supreme Court, the General Prosecutor's Office, the Anti-Corruption General Directorate under the...
Improving redress against discrimination, notably through joint awareness initiatives, addressed by the key stakeholders in the Republic of Moldova
Main stakeholders and partners of the Council of Europe in the field of anti-discrimination, exchanged views on further actions to prevent and combat discrimination and promote equality at central and local level in the Republic of Moldova. The first part of the meeting gathered the...
Judges, prosecutors and investigators in Azerbaijan trained further in processing money laundering cases
Effectively addressing money laundering and confiscating criminal proceeds was the focus of the two-day workshop organised for judges, investigators, prosecutors, and financial intelligence practitioners. This workshop supports the training programme for judges and prosecutors at the request of...
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...
Third mentoring programme cycle on women’s access to justice launched for legal professionals from the Eastern Partnership countries
The year-long mentoring programme for legal professionals on women’s access to justice was initiated with a training in Budapest on 5-7 September, with 24 mentors from the Eastern Partnership countries. Over the course of three days, judges, prosecutors and other legal professionals from Armenia,...
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...
Internal practices for assessment and management of corruption risks in state institutions discussed in Azerbaijan
National authorities of Azerbaijan advanced in their policy reforms to introduce internal practices for the assessment and management of corruption risks in state institutions through the support provided by the project. Framing a corruption risk assessment and management methodology as part of a...
Marking the 2023 Council of Europe week in the Republic of Moldova
Gallop with us against discrimination and hatred!
As a part of series activities marking the 28th anniversary of the country's accession to the Council of Europe and cooperation in the field of democracy, human rights and rule of law, the joint European Union and Council of Europe project “Combating discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes in...
The impact of hatred on the victims’ life was addressed at the Living Library on the thematic of discrimination
A thematic event on raising awareness and combating discrimination was carried out in the context of Council of Europe week in the Republic of Moldova on 12 July 2023 in the format of Living Library - the storytelling sessions that reflected cases and situations of discrimination and hatred...
New joint projects for Ukraine presented by the European Union and the Council of Europe under the third phase of the Partnership for Good Governance
New projects aimed at countering economic crime and hate speech, promoting equality and non-discrimination, advancing women’s access to justice and combating violence against women, were presented on Tuesday 27 June, 2023, in Kyiv as part of the third phase of the joint EU/Council of Europe...
High-Level Conference on Prosecutorial Independence and Accountability Held in Yerevan
The Council of Europe in collaboration with the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Armenia organised a two-day high-level conference "Prosecutorial Independence in Upholding the Rule of Law". The aim of the conference was to facilitate a cohesive dialogue among main actors in the...
Marking the international day to counter hate speech with equality body representatives
The International Day for Countering Hate Speech (18 June) is an opportunity to raise awareness of the risks posed by hate speech to human rights, democracy and the rule of law and take collective action to implement the principles of the Council of Europe Recommendation on Combating Hate...
Collaborative efforts to better tackle racism in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership regions: key stakeholders meet in Albania to discuss EU and Council of Europe support
A two-day seminar took place in Vlorë, Albania, to address the critical issue of combating racism and racial discrimination in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership regions. The event aimed for representatives of both regions , in particular Beneficiaries on their path to EU membership, to...
Round Table Discussion Explores Strategic Directions for Judicial and Legal Reforms in Armenia
A round table discussion that explored strategic directions of the Judicial and Legal Reforms in Armenia and the essential role of civil society organisations (CSOs) in driving the reform process, was held on 2-3 June. The round table's primary objective was to foster a more active involvement of...
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...
Follow us on social media
