News on ensuring justice
Montenegro advances judicial reforms and strengthens victim protection, HF 7’ Steering Committee concluded
Montenegro continues to make progress in judicial reform and enhancing the protection of victims' rights, as concluded in the forth Steering Committee Meeting of the action "Strengthening accountability of the judicial system and enhancing protection of victims' rights in Montenegro" that took...
Montenegro: New handbook on electronic evidence in criminal cases now available
A new handbook detailing how electronic evidence is handled in criminal cases, based on rulings from the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) is now available to both legal professionals and the general public. The handbook, available in English and Montenegrin, sheds light on how the European...
Promoting inclusivity: new brochure on the Administrative Court published in multiple languages
To enhance public understanding of the Administrative Court's role in overseeing the lawful conduct of public authorities, a brochure detailing the essential Court’s work and functions was recently published in Montenegrin, Serbian, Bosnian, Albanian, and Croatian, as well as Romani and English....
Improving the free legal aid system in North Macedonia - 15th meeting of the National Co-ordination Body gathers in Skopje
The 15th meeting of the National Co-ordination Body for the implementation of the Law on Free Legal Aid (NCB), gathered in Skopje to discuss the most important challenges regarding the functioning of the free legal aid system in North Macedonia. Supported by the European Union and the Council of...
HIGHLIGHTS
Protecting human rights of persons deprived of liberty, in line with European standards
One of the programme’s priorities is to support public authorities and local actors to improve the protection of human rights of persons deprived of liberty in the areas of police, prisons, mental health care institutions, and monitoring mechanisms. The actions taken are aimed at raising...
HIGHLIGHTS
Ensuring efficient, accessible and quality legal aid in the Western Balkans
Enhancing legal practices in line with European values and promoting an efficient justice across Western Balkans Beneficiaries is a main priority of respective actions in the field of strengthening justice. Efforts are directed at working closely with justice governing institutions, courts and...
Strengthening the legal reasoning of Montenegro’s Administrative Court
With the aim of strengthening the quality of decisions in administrative disputes, intensive capacity building course was delivered to 14 judges and 14 advisors of the Administrative Court of Montenegro, focusing on skills needed to make a well-reasoned and fair decision. Through practical,...
High-level officials of North Macedonia discussed necessary interventions following latest report of the Council of Europe Committee against Torture
In a high-level meeting, senior officials working on prison reform discussed the way forward to address the key challenges stemming from the main findings of the European Committee against Torture (CPT) 2023 report on North Macedonia. The event was attended by the State Secretary of the Ministry...
Towards ending discrimination against blind chess players
Representatives from Serbia’s Ministry of Sport and the Government Agent before the ECtHR, as relevant government officials, and experts from the Council of Europe's Department for the Execution of Judgment of the European Court of Human Rights, gathered in Belgrade on 24 September 2024 to...
Montenegro police to boost human rights standards with new procedures
Police officers in Montenegro are stepping up efforts to protect human rights through the introduction of newly developed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). During two days of training, held on 26-27 September in Bijelo Polje, middle management staff from the Regional Centre “North” were...
PRESS RELEASE
Advancing Albania’s Reform Agenda, in line with European values: Human Rights and Democracy in the Spotlight
The programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”, a core co-operation initiative of the European Union and Council of Europe, is a fundamental instrument in the hands of the public authorities in Albania to bring forward protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms,...
Advancing support to legal professionals in the efforts to improve women’s access to justice in the Western Balkans
The Mentoring Programme for legal professionals, an initiative of the EU and Council of Europe regional action “Women’s access to justice in the Western Balkans”, proved to be a unique tool for equipping justice professionals including judges and prosecutors with necessary resources to champion...
New course on combating trafficking in human beings in Serbia
To support lawyers in effective protection of victims of trafficking and prosecuting perpetrators, a new HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) course has been launched within the action “Strengthening anti-trafficking action in Serbia”, in co-operation with the Serbian Bar...
Software to support a more efficient system of treatment of prisoners launched for the beneficiaries of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
For the first time in a prison of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Federation an Integrated Prison Management Information System (IPMIS) was put into function. This prison software together with the procurement of hardware equipment was developed with the support of the EU and Council of Europe...
Potential amendments to Serbia's Data Protection Law with emphasis on Freedom of Expression discussed with local actors
The intricate balance between data protection and freedom of expression has emerged as a critical issue within the realm of journalism. The 2018 adoption of the Law on Data Protection by the Government of Serbia marked a significant step in aligning national legislation with the European Union's...
Avukatlar, Avrupa standartlarıyla uyumlu göç bağlamında idari gözetim uygulaması konusunda desteklendi.
"Türkiye'de göç bağlamında insan haklarının korunmasının güçlendirilmesi" konulu Avrupa Birliği ve Avrupa Konseyi ortak eylemi çerçevesinde, Türkiye Barolar Birliği işbirliğiyle, İzmir, Adana, Kahramanmaraş, Mardin ve Bursa Barolarından 133 avukat 'Göç Bağlamında İdari Gözetim' konusundaki...
High Inspector of Justice in Albania enhances capacities on thematic inspections
The European Union and the Council of Europe are supporting the capacities of the High Inspector of Justice (HIJ) in Albania with the methodology for preparing and conducting classic thematic inspection missions, based on best European standards and practices. Participating in a training seminar...
Published new Guide on the Albanian Constitutional Court's jurisprudence on property rights for legal professionals
The latest resource material for legal professionals, on the case-law of the Albanian Constitutional Court regarding property rights, is now available in Albanian. This guide aims to enhance the understanding and implementation of property rights in Albania, aligning with the standards set by the...
Montenegro: Published Judicial Reform Strategy 2024-2027 and Action Plan for its implementation 2025-2025
The Government of Montenegro has adopted the Judicial Reform Strategy 2024-2027 and Action Plan for its implementation 2024-2025 on 17 May 2024, with the aim to ensure the continuity of reform based on public policy long-term planning which began with the Judicial System Reform Project in 2000....
Attorneys in North Macedonia deepen their knowledge in addressing ethical dilemmas
42 attorneys from North Macedonia successfully completed the online HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) course on “Ethics for judges, prosecutors and lawyers.” The course covers in an interactive way the key concepts, the International and European framework and the relevant...