Back Local trainers in the Western Balkans prepared to conduct online courses on “Freedom of Expression” and “Protection and Safety of Journalists”

Local trainers in the Western Balkans prepared to conduct online courses on “Freedom of Expression” and “Protection and Safety of Journalists”

The Council of Europe standards on freedom of expression can be more effectively implemented by offering training in this field to different local actors such as judges, prosecutors, lawyers, police officers or students who could then apply these standards in their current or future work. This should contribute to the creation of a favourable environment for exercising freedom of expression and freedom of the media at the domestic level. 

The online courses on “Freedom of Expression” and “Protection and Safety of Journalists” have been developed by the joint European Union and Council of Europe’s action on “Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the Media in South-East Europe (JUFREX)” and in cooperation with the Council of Europe’s HELP Programme, with the support of top experts, including lawyers from the Registry of the European Court of Human Rights.

The Training of Trainers on Methodology for the implementation of online courses has been organised on 9 and 10 November 2021 with aim to equip future tutors – judges, prosecutors and university professors with the technical skills needed to lead tutored online courses at the local level.

As a result, JUFREX project partners will be able to deliver the tutored courses on “Freedom of Expression” and “Protection and Safety of Journalists” covering both international standards and the domestic legislative and institutional frameworks and practices in the Western Balkans. These courses will be offered by local training institutions for legal professionals (such Judicial Academies) and Universities in 2021/2022 and used as a tool to supplement traditional educational materials used in legal education. Development of capacities of key partners to implement those courses will also ensure a long-term sustainability, beyond the action’s lifetime.

 

This activity was organised within the action on “Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the Media in South-East Europe” which is a part of the joint EU and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”.

Western Balkans 12 November 2021
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Freedom of expression and freedom of the media in Serbia (JUFREX)


What is the goal?


► To promote freedom of expression and freedom of the media and to improve the application of European standards in this domain;
► To ensure protection of journalists and contribute to creation of enabling, safer and more pluralistic media environment;
► To strengthen skills and knowledge of the actors who are responsible to apply such standards as part of their daily work, namely: judges, prosecutors, lawyers, police officers, employees of Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media, students and other media actors.


Who benefits from the Action?


► Training institutions for legal professionals (Judicial Academy and Bar Association of Serbia);
► Ministry of Interior;
► Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media;
► Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Belgrade;
► Judges, prosecutors, police officers, lawyers;
► Students;
► Through strengthened freedom of expression and freedom of the media and ensured right to seek, impart and receive information, citizens of Serbia will be able to genuinely participate in democratic processes.


How will the Action work?


► The Action builds upon a previous EU/CoE Regional Joint Programme Reinforcing Judicial Expertise on Freedom of Expression and the Media in South-East Europe (JUFREX);
► The capacity building activities for the various professional categories adopt a dynamic methodology for adult learning and peer-to-peer model;
► The action uses an inclusive approach in order to generate dialog between the different actors and relevant stakeholders;
► The strong interconnection between JUFREX Regional Action and JUFREX Action in Serbia ensures strengthened co-operation, exchange of good practices and lessons learnt.
What do we expect to achieve?
► Legal professionals – judges, prosecutors, lawyers and police officers improve application of the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights case-law on freedom of expression;
► Professional capacities of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media are further strengthened;
► Faculty of Political Sciences and other relevant stakeholders contribute to an enabling environment for freedom of expression and freedom of the media.


How much will it cost?


► The total budget of the Action is 585.000 EUR;
► The budget allocated to the overall Horizontal Facility programme amounts to ca. 41 Million EUR (85% funded by the European Union, 15% by the Council of Europe).


How to get more information?


► Directorate General I: Human Rights and Rule of Law:
https://www.coe.int/en/web/freedom-expression/jufrex-2
► Martina Silvestri, Programme Manager, [email protected], +333 90 216 339
► Maja Stojanovic, Senior Project Officer, [email protected]; +381 11 71 555 10
► Irena Draskovic, Project Assistant, [email protected]; +381 11 71 555 15
► Horizontal Facility website: https://pjp-eu.coe.int/en/web/horizontal-facility/home
► Marija Simić, Horizontal Facility Communication Officer, [email protected], +381 63 601 337
► Besnik Baka, Horizontal Facility Communication Officer, [email protected], +355 69 217 8430

HORIZONTAL FACILITY II