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