Judicial time management

After having worked since its creation on timeframes of proceedings, the CEPEJ has set up in 2007 the SATURN Working group on judicial time management.

The SATURN Working group is instructed to collect information necessary for the knowledge of judicial timeframes in the member States and detailed enough to enable member states to implement policies aiming to prevent violations of the right for a fair trial within a reasonable time protected by Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Working group is aimed to become progressively a genuine European observatory of judicial timeframes, by analysing the situation of existing timeframes in the member States (timeframes per types of cases, waiting times in the proceedings, etc.), providing them knowledge and analytical tools of judicial timeframes of proceedings. It is also in charge of the promotion and assessment of the Guidelines for judicial time management.

The tasks of the Working group are in particular to collect, process and analyse the relevant information on judicial timeframes in a representative sample of courts in the member States by relying on the network of pilot courts. Thus it must define and improve measuring systems and common indicators on judicial timeframes in all member states and develop appropriate modalities and tools for collecting information through statistical analysis.

By Resolution Nº 1 on a modern, transparent and efficient justice, the Ministers of Justice of the Council of Europe's member States, during their meeting in Istanbul at the occasion of their 30th Conference (24-26 November 2010), "invited the Committee of Ministers to build on the work of the SATURN Working group within CEPEJ, further developing its capacity to acquire better knowledge of the time required for judicial proceedings in the member States, with a view to developing tools to enable the member States to better meet their obligations under Article 6 of the ECHR regarding the right to a fair trial within a reasonable time".

Call for comments – Developments in the member States of practices in terms of judicial time management

The comments and implementation examples contained in the CEPEJ SATURN guidelines for judicial time management evolving in parallel with court practices in the Council of Europe member States, the CEPEJ Secretariat renews its call for comments by its members and representatives of pilot courts. The comments, additions or modifications can be done at any moment by contacting the Secretariat: cepej [at] coe.int