SATURN Centre for judicial time management
After having worked since its creation on timeframes of proceedings, the CEPEJ has set up in 2007 a Centre for judicial time management (SATURN Centre - Study and Analysis of judicial Time Use Research Network).
The SATURN Centre 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 Centre 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 Centre is managed through a Steering group, which works in particular for collecting, processing and analysing 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 centre 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
Guidelines, checklists, implementation guides and handbooks
- Implementation guide "Towards European timeframes for judicial proceedings"
- Guide for implementing the SATURN management tools in courts
- SATURN guidelines for judicial time management
- Appendices I and II to the guidelines: Indicators and examples of synopsis
- Implementing the SATURN time management tools in courts a guide
- Comments and implementation examples of the SATURN guidelines
- Time management checklist
- Best pratices for judicial time management
- CEPEJ Studies
- Length of court proceedings in the member states of the Council of Europe based on the case law of the European Court of Human Right, by Ms Françoise Calvez and Nicolas Regis, Judges (France) 3rd edition by Nicolas Regis - Cepej Studies No. 27
- Study on Council of Europe Member States on Appeal and Supreme Courts' Lengths of Proceedings (Report prepared by Marco Velicogna) IRSIG-CNR and CEPEJ expert - CEPEJ Studies No. 17
- Time management of justice systems: a Northern Europe study - CEPEJ Studies No. 2
- Questionnaires and other useful documents
- CEPEJ court coaching programme on judicial timeframes
- Regional court of Fribourg (Germany), April 2012 (in English)
- Court of Syracuse (Italy), May 2013 (in Italian)
- Regional court of Bratislava (Slovakia), April 2013 (in English)
