On 27-28 June 2017 the delegation of the High Judicial Council and the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan visited the Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg, France. The working visit was organised in the framework of the European Union and Council of Europe Joint Programme “Support to the Kazakh authorities in improving the quality and efficiency of the Kazakh justice system”. It aimed at enhancing the knowledge of the Kazakh judiciary on European standards related to independence, efficiency and quality of justice and the work of the Council of Europe intergovernmental committees in these fields.

Members of the delegation learned about the Consultative Council of European Judges, the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) and the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission), as well as becoming acquainted with the European Court of Human Rights and its recent case law on independence of justice.

The visit provided an opportunity to discuss the progress achieved under the on-going modernisation of the justice system and addressed several important issues on fair trial standards within the current criminal justice reform processes in Kazakhstan. It also helped to strengthen the co-operation between two partners and identify main priorities for future co-operation in the field of the judiciary.