News on ensuring justice
Strengthening victim protection in criminal cases in Montenegro
Montenegro is moving toward more consistent protection for victims of serious crimes with the first working group meeting held to draft the Guidelines for enhancing judicial practices in compensating the victims. Through a clearly defined recommendations, the Guidelines will provide expert and...
Strategy for the Protection of Victims’ Rights: final public consultations take place in Montenegro
As part of the public consultation process to discuss the Draft Strategy for the Protection of Victims’ Rights and related Action Plan for its implementation, a round-table was held in Podgorica. Montenegro is in the final phase of developing its first national Strategy for the protection of...
Gjykata e Lartë e Shqipërisë mëson nga përvoja portugeze për forcimin e efikasitetit
Një delegacion i Qendrës së Dokumentacionit së Gjykatës së Lartë të Shqipërisë përfundoi një vizitë studimore në Lisbonë, të fokusuar në forcimin e praktikave të menaxhimit të çështjeve dhe kërkimit gjyqësor, në përputhje me standardet evropiane. 12 këshilltarë ligjorë dhe juristë të stafit të...
Judges and prosecutors from the Western Balkans equipped to counter barriers to women’s access to justice
Judges and prosecutors from across the Western Balkans gathered in Budapest for a pioneering three-day training to champion gender equality in justice. From 22-24 September the thirty-four legal professionals from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia ...
Delegation from North Macedonia learns from Dutch experience in ensuring equal justice for all citizens
Legal aid professionals and policymakers from North Macedonia concluded a three-day study visit to the Netherlands, gaining first-hand insights into one of the world’s most advanced legal aid systems. The visit is part of the ongoing EU and Council of Europe efforts to strengthen access to...
Collaboration for change: fostering women’s rights through stronger local partnerships in Türkiye
Commitment, collaboration, and solidarity were at the forefront in Ankara as civil society organisations working in the field of women’s rights, bar associations and municipalities from across Türkiye, and international partners convened for the Final Review Meeting: Collective Impact for Women’s...
Youth in North Macedonia invited to share their vision on justice and equality in drawing and essay competition
The Council of Europe Programme Office in Skopje, is once again marking the European Day of Justice in North Macedonia, this time with a drawing and essay competition, under the slogan “Let’s bring justice closer to the citizens”. This initiative invites children and young people from North...
Final cascade training strengthens lawyers’ expertise on immigration detention
As many as 36 lawyers from the Gaziantep Bar Association deepened their knowledge of European and international human rights standards during the 10th and final cascade training on Detention in the Context of Migration held on 25–26 September 2025 in Gaziantep. Organised under the European Union...
Gjyqtarët shqiptarë nxisin harmonizimin gjyqësor nëpërmjet zbatimit të standardeve të Gjykatës Evropiane
Mbi 40 gjyqtarë dhe këshilltarë të lartë ligjorë nga Gjykata e Lartë dhe gjykatat e apelit të Shqipërisë morën pjesë në Forumin e Harmonizimit Gjyqësor për të forcuar praktikat gjyqësore uniforme dhe koherente, në përputhje me standardet e Gjykatës Evropiane të të Drejtave të Njeriut (Gjykata)....
Towards victim-centered justice: Training for judges and prosecutors
Judges and prosecutors from across Montenegro participated in a specialised capacity-building activity on 18–19 September, aimed at improving the justice system’s response to victims of crime. Organised in cooperation with the Judicial Training Centre, the workshop focused on equipping legal...
Improving the pre-release preparation and post-penal support in North Macedonia
North Macedonia is successfully piloting the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) on pre-release preparation and post-penal support. Introduced as a novelty in the 2024, the SOP specifies the course of actions in the process prior to and after the release of sentenced persons. To assist the...
Prosecutorial authorities devise Guidelines for communicating in crisis situations
According to the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice’s (CEPEJ) Guide on communication with the media and public for courts and prosecution authorities, judicial power is the least visible to citizens, as it least intervenes in the public debate. As a result, the function of justice...
Electronic data management to be introduced in prisons in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The European Union and the Council of Europe continue to support the introduction of an electronic system for collecting, storing and exchanging prison-related data in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The new hardware equipment donated through the joint EU/CoE programme “Horizontal Facility for the...
Multi-professional group drafts forensic manual in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The training teams formed of law enforcement and prison professionals held an online co-ordination meeting with the team of the action on “Strengthening human rights treatment of detained persons based on European standards and best practices in Bosnia and Herzegovina” on 25 June 2020. The aim of...
“Videoconference in Court proceedings & human rights standards” – Regional Roundtable with Legal Professionals
Judiciaries in the Western Balkans faced extraordinary challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The courts are required to comply with restriction measures while ensuring the right to a fair trial. As a result, many of them resorted to the increased use of online tools to conduct hearings. To...
Situatat emergjente: Përmbledhje e raporteve dhe opinioneve të përgjithshme të Komisionit të Venecias
Këshilli Shkencor i Komisionit të Venecias ka përgatitur një përmbledhje të raporteve të përgjithshme të Komisionit dhe opinioneve specifike të vendeve të ndryshme mbi dispozitat kushtetuese dhe legjislacionin për situatat emergjente. Ky dokument lehtëson qasjen në analizën e Komisionit mbi...
Published Handbook on case-law of the European Court of Human Rights in relation to right to property
The Handbook on case-law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in relation to the right to property (Article 1 Protocol 1) has been published. It will serve as a useful toolkit for legal practitioners in application at the national level of the standards developed in the practice of the...
Care for vulnerable groups in times of crisis: treatment of persons deprived of liberty in context of Covid-19
Highlighting the importance of consistent treatment of persons deprived of their liberty, Mykola Gnatovsky, President of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) stated: “There are specific and intense challenges for staff working...
Supporting the development of statistical reports and electronic assignment of cases in Kosovo*
From 17 to 20 December 2018, the Strengthening the Quality and Efficiency of Justice in Kosovo action organised an expert mission to follow-up on the issues raised at the workshop held in May 2018 with high level international expertise to support the development and implementation of the Case...
Call for tender: provision of intellectual services on efficiency and quality of justice in Albania
Under the framework of the joint European Union / Council of Europe Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey, the Council of Europe is looking for a maximum of 6 Provider(s) at local level in order to support the implementation of the Action on ‘Strengthening the efficiency and...
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