Project “Strengthening the Quality and Efficiency of Justice in Albania*” (SEJ 2)

Overall objective

The Action aims at implementing recommendations stemming from the previous project (SEJ) to improve further the efficiency and the quality of the public service of justice delivered to the Albanian citizens by the court system in accordance with European standards and in the context of the on-going reform process of the judiciary.

Specific objective

The first specific objective is to enhance the efficiency of the justice system on judicial statistics and improve time management with:

Additional support to enhance the capacity of beneficiaries to improve the collection and analysis of reliable statistical data for policy making in accordance with CEPEJ methodology and tools, in particular the SATURN Guidelines;
The implementation of priority recommendations made in SEJ Court Coaching Programmes with practical and targeted projects, particularly on judicial time management, within selected courts;
Support to the School of Magistrates for the development of new curricula for judicial and administrative staff;
Targeted contributions, when requested, to the justice reform in Albania by assisting the interlocutors throughout its implementation.

The second specific objective is to further enhance the quality of service by courts, with:

Court Coaching Programmes in view of building the capacity of courts to deliver a better justice service in accordance with CEPEJ quality tools such as the quality checklist and users’satisfaction surveys.
Support to the School of Magistrates for the development of new curricula to include topics on the quality of justice;

Main beneficiaries and partners

Ministry of Justice, High Council of Justice, Judicial Inspectorate, Courts, School of Magistrates, Office for the Administration of the Judicial Budget, Office of the Prosecutor General

Contacts

Council of Europe in Strasbourg: cepej [at] coe.int and/or Stéphanie Burel, Project coordinator at the CEPEJ
Council of Europe office in Tirana: informtirana [at] coe.int

Translated CEPEJ Documents

Project news

Back Study visits to support the judicial reform in Albania (SEJ II Action)

On 7 May 2019, a CEPEJ study visit was organised in Strasbourg for representatives of the new High Judicial Council, Courts and the School of Magistrates on ‘case flow and court administration’. Albanian beneficiaries were welcomed by the Court President and Public Prosecutor of the Strasbourg ‘Tribunal de Grande Instance’, the President of the Bar Association and court staff at all levels to have a practical and dynamic exchange on the different roles of magistrates, lawyers, and their relationship as well as on the initial and continuous training. Examples of good practices were shared on the administration of the courts and managing cases in the context of the modernisation of the judiciary with electronic systems in France. The Albanian delegation met also with the Council of Europe Head of the Justice and Legal Cooperation Department and the Secretariat of the CEPEJ to address priority issues of the reform in Albania in light of the on-going work of the CEPEJ. The issue of the improvement of judicial statistics and the case management system, including with training, was particularly discussed to continue the CEPEJ assistance in the context of the next phase of the project. In addition, on 08-09 May, the Organisation for Cooperation and Security in Europe (OSCE) organised visits to the Frankfurt Appeal Court (Oberlandesgericht) and Higher Regional Court to discuss matters related to time management in courts with court Presidents and staff.

This activity has been organised in cooperation with the Organisation for Cooperation and Security in Europe (OSCE) in the framework of their ‘Justice without Delays’ Project and in the framework of the SEJ II Action “Strengthening the efficiency and quality of the justice system in Albania”, which is part of the programme "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey", co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe.