The European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ), with the support of the High Council of Justice of Andorra, organised a conference on systems for measuring the workload in the courts. The opening session was chaired by Francesco Depasquale, President of the CEPEJ, and Joseph Maria Rossell, President of the High Council of Justice of Andorra.

Representatives from all three levels of the judiciary attended the conference and presented the workload measurement system currently being developed in Andorra. During the meeting, participants were able to deepen their understanding of the essential elements required to establish an effective case weighting system, drawing on experiences from Germany and Austria.

Mr Christian Altgen, judge at the Court of Appeal in Cologne (Germany), Ms Gabriela Thoma-Twaroch, former President of the Josefstadt District Court in Vienna (Austria), and Ms Sabine Matejka, President of the Floridsdorf District Court in Vienna (Austria), shared their national experiences, whilst discussing the benefits and challenges associated with implementing this type of system.

Participants were also introduced to the CEPEJ’s case-weighting tool, which sets out the various steps required to develop, implement and maintain a workload measurement system.

Discussions focused in particular on the objectives, data collection, the definition of a weighting formula, its implementation, and the use and sustainability of case weighting systems. Practical examples were presented and potential future developments in various national systems were discussed.