Project duration

30 months: 1 July 2019 – 31 December 2021

Budget
Euro 580.000
Donors
European Union and Council of Europe
Project title

Strengthening the profession of lawyer in line with European standards

Geographical focus: Armenia, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine

Beneficiaries / Partners:

Beneficiaries: Self-governing Bar Associations

Partners: Ministries of Justice, self-governing bar associations, professional unions of lawyers, advocates and lawyers

Key issues to be addressed
  • Procedural and institutional setup of the functioning of lawyers
  • Internal structure of the associations of the bars
  • Procedural safeguards for lawyers
  • Systems of legal representation
  • Access to the profession of advocate
  • Systems of training for lawyers
  • Codes of ethical standards for lawyers
  • Professional standards of interaction of lawyers and judges in courts
  • Impact of gender-related issues on the profession and on access to justice
Project aim

Strengthen co-operation between the bar associations and law societies of the participating countries (Armenia, Belarus, Gerogia, Moldova and Ukraine) with a view to improving the internal functioning and independence of the bar.

Gender mainstreaming in the project

Gender will be mainstreamed in various ways throughout the project.

The project is linked to the priorities of the Eastern Partnership - 20 Deliverables for 2020, with reference to Priority II (Strengthening institutions and good governance) under chapter 10 (Implementation of key judicial reforms).

Project components

1 – Straightening the regional cooperation network of lawyers and bar associations of the participating countries

Aim of the component: to organise regional meetings of representatives of the bars, to deliver conferences for the bars, and lawyer unions with the aim to strengthen peer-to-peer co-operation amongst them.

2 – Improvement of the internal functioning of the bar associations

Aim of the component: to deliver a cross-country review of the internal structure of the bar associations, to develop country-specific action plans as to the improvement of the internal functioning of the bar associations, and to support the implementation of the country-specific action plans.

3 – Strengthening the independence and professionalism of lawyers

Aim of the component: to deliver cross-country reviews of the procedural safeguards for lawyers, codes of ethical standards, access to the profession, to develop recommendations as to the professional standards of interaction in courts of lawyers and judges, and to organise networking meetings of judges and lawyers.

4 – Strengthening the provision of legal services by lawyers

Aim of the component: to deliver cross-country reviews of the systems of legal representation (including free legal aid and the monopoly of advocates), impact of gender-related issues on the profession and on access to justice, and to develop/deliver the country-specific measures related to the improvement of the system of legal representation.

Council of Euroep Action Plan

Relevance for Council of Europe Action Plan and priorities:

Council of Europe Action Plan for Georgia 2016-2019

Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova 2017-2020

Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine 2018-2021

Council of Europe Gender Equality Strategy 2018 -2023

The Council of Europe is implementing this project under the “European Union/Council of Europe Partnership for Good Governance”.

Project team

Project manager: Ms Natalia Khodakevich (Strasbourg)

Project officer: Mr Karen Karapetyan (Yerevan)

Project assistant: Ms Alina Beliaeva (Strasbourg)


News

Back Networking and Knowledge Depository Platform for lawyers from Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine now available

Regional Project: Strengthening the profession of lawyer in line with European standards
© Council of Europe

© Council of Europe

A new platform for networking, exchanging information and best practices, accessing key documents, including pieces of legislation and research is now accessible to lawyers, bar associations and legal professional in the Eastern Partnership Countries.

The platform was presented at the second meeting of the Technical Project Committee meeting gathering representatives of Bar and lawyers’ associations, Ministries of Justice, European Union delegations and Council of Europe offices in the participating countries.

National partners from all countries welcomed the platform as a useful and practical tool to facilitate contacts and knowledge sharing within the legal communities. It will also provide wide dissemination to the comparative reviews on key areas of interest, to the legal profession to assess the current challenges faced by the profession, facilitate exchange of experiences and identify solutions to enhance compliance with European standards on lawyers’ independence and professionalism. Topics covered include: internal structure of bar associations, procedural safeguards for lawyers and protection against undue interferences, systems of legal representation, access to the profession and training, ethical codes, relations with judges and gender mainstreaming.

The website “Regional Cooperation Network of Lawyers in Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine” was developed within the framework of the PGG II Regional Project “Strengthening the profession of lawyer in line with European standards” to support regional dialogue and co-operation between the bars and lawyers’ professional associations.

Link to the website

Link to the project

18 February 2021
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