Improving competence and efficiency of judiciaries through regional activities

1. Improving competence and efficiency of judiciaries through regional activities Gazmend Turdiu RCC Deputy Secretary General Sarajevo, 16 March 2017

2. Content • The rationale for regional cooperation in judicial sector • Areas of regional cooperation • Coordination mechanism • Work done in the last two years • Plans for the future

3. The rationale for regional cooperation in judicial reform • The EC approach “fundamentals first”. Focus on the RoL • RCC mission: Promoting European integration through regional cooperation. • Balkan Barometer 2017, Public Opinion Survey • 78% of WB6 citizens: tend to disagree or totally disagree that the judicial system is independent of political influence • 83% of WB6 citizens: tend to disagree or totally disagree that the law is equally applied to everyone

4. The rationale for regional cooperation in judicial reform • Need for support strengthening of the independence, efficiency, integrity and competency of judiciaries • Judicial reforms: areas under national jurisdictions, bilaterally dealt with between the national authorities and the EC. Consultations with stakeholders: • Is there scope for regional cooperation? • How can regional cooperation influence and support national reforms?

5. Areas of cooperation in judicial reform • Capacity building / Training of the judiciaries • Promoting mediation as an alternative method for dispute resolution / reducing the court backlogs • Both contributing to reducing corruption • Exchange of experience - P2P networking/support • Better use of resources / Avoidance of overlapping

6. Coordination of regional cooperation in judicial reform No existing regional cooperation mechanism. Over the last two years RCC established: • The WGJ (structure – two annual meetings): • Drafting and approving cooperation work plans and programs • Monitoring/Evaluation • Network of Judicial Training Institutions (platform) • Network of Association of Mediators (platform)

7. Outcomes of the work done so far • Institution and capacity building (three studies): • E-enforcement based on authentic documents • Mediation as a method to reduce court backlogs • Report on best practices in judicial training • Mapping of regional projects in judicial training (work in progress) • To be used by national authorities and by DG JUST

8. Benefits from the work done so far The Network of Judicial training Institutions: • Enabled RCC to serve as a hub and a focal point for regional activities in the field of judicial training • Brings together the expertise, efforts and resources of EU judicial training institutions, GIZ ORF, other partners • Links the Training Institutions Network with SEELS (SEE Schools of Law) and CSO active in judicial training • Helps to avoid duplications and overlapping

9. Benefits from the work done so far The Network of Association of Mediators: • A platform to learn from the experiences of Associations of Mediators in EU MS • Helps raising public awareness • A valuable example of cooperation of governments and CSOs. • Helps to improve the efficiency of judiciaries and to reduce court backlogs • Helps and supports the dialogue between legislators and the associations of mediators.

10. Plans for the future • RCC, European Training Institutions, GIZ ORF - Training of judges and prosecutors • training the trainers (regional seminars for judges and prosecutors in international law, ethics, English legal terminology and other topics of common interest) • RCC and GIZ: develop a regional legal expert database (2017) • Strengthening ties (consultations) with DR NEAR and DG JUST

11. Thank you! Regional Cooperation Secretariat Trg Bosne i Hercegovine 1/V 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Tel: +387 33 561 700 Fax: +387 33 561 701 Mob: +387 61 190 601 www:rcc.int Twitter:@rcccint Facebook:RegionalCooperationCouncil YouTube:RCCSec