Establishing a balanced workload distribution in the judicial system in Bulgaria

November 2022 – May 2024

Establishing a balanced workload distribution in the judicial system in Bulgaria

The project is co-funded by the European Union via the Technical Support Instrument, and implemented by the Council of Europe, in cooperation with the European Commission.

Context of the project

The project “Establishing a balanced workload distribution in the judicial system in Bulgaria” meets the Updated Strategy to Continue the Reform of the Judicial System in Bulgaria and is in line with the European Commission position that the introduction of a balanced distribution of workloads in the justice system is an issue that need to be addressed to improve the efficiency and quality of its judiciary.

Project’s objectives

The project’s first objective is to improve workload management of judges. For this to be possible, a key focus of the project will aim at a providing a more accurate picture and recommendations regarding the workload of judges and courts based on a strengthened judicial data collection and analysis.

Expected Results

Reports on the control and verification of statistical data and on the workload management of judges will quantify the true scale of the problem, the strengths and weaknesses of the current system, and in which areas the problem is more acute (e.g. geographically, thematically, instance…). To address the missing or inaccurate data identified, recommendations will be provided based on European good practices that that can be undertaken and implemented quickly which could serve as inspiration for actionable changes in the organisation and the methodologies. To ensure the successful implementation of these recommendations, national officials will be trained to ensure sustainability of the system and better dissemination throughout the justice system.

Main activities

Report and recommendations for an updated methodology of the current method for control and verification of the statistical data reflecting the activities of the judicial authorities in Bulgaria.
Capacity building activities to support the implementation of the recommendations for an updated methodology of the current method for control and verification of the statistical data reflecting the activities of the judicial authorities in Bulgaria
Report and recommendations on the existing criteria to measure workload of judges in Bulgaria including recommendations to update the workload system based on European good practices
Capacity building activities to support the implementation of the recommendations for the new workload system.
Enhance better knowledge of CEPEJ tools and European goods practices in these fields

Project beneficiaries and stakeholders

Ministry of Justice of Bulgaria; Supreme Judicial Council; judges, investigators and prosecutors at national and local level; Court Staff.

Link to the DPC/DGREF website

Relevant CEPEJ Tools

Case weighting in judicial systems - CEPEJ Studies No. 28 (07/2020)
SATURN Guidelines for judicial time management (12/2021)
Handbook on court dashboards (06/2021)
CEPEJ Guidelines on Judicial Statistics (GOJUST) (10/2008)

Contacts

Council of Europe - Strasbourg

Emmanuel Baron
Project manager

News

Back Study Visit to Latvia of Bulgarian judges to improve workload management of judges

Ervilda SMAJLAJ

Modified 3 Months ago.

Study Visit to Latvia of Bulgarian judges to improve workload management of judges

On 16 and 17 May, the CEPEJ, in cooperation with the Latvian judicial authorities, organised a study visit to Riga for Bulgarian judges in charge of the development and implementation of the workload distribution module in Bulgaria in order to optimise case weighting strategies and their practical applications. Through meetings and group discussions held in Riga's regional and municipal courts, as well as within the Court Administration and Judicial Council Department, participants were able to consider how data collection can help reducing inequalities in workload within courts and between judges, and to better define the number of judges and judicial staff required for the tasks assigned to them. This statistical monitoring makes it also possible to adapt to changes in workload and to ensure that the methodology for weighting pending cases remains reliable over time.

This activity was organised in the framework of the project Establishing a balanced distribution of the workload in the judicial system in Bulgaria, co-financed by the European Union via the technical assistance instrument and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe.

Riga, Latvia 16-17 May 2024