Meeting of the SATURN Centre for judicial time management in Strasbourg in April 2018After 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".

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headline Strasbourg 24 September 2018
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Management and reduction of European judicial timeframes: the CEPEJ SATURN Centre builds on the resources made available to the courts

The meeting of the CEPEJ SATURN Centre for judicial time management took place in Strasbourg on 9 and 11 October 2018. On this occasion, its members finalised a methodology - the first of its kind - aimed at assessing cases in order to better distribute the judicial workload. The Working Group also adopted an update of the Implementation Guide “Towards European timegrames for judicial proceedings”. To facilitate case management in the courts, new dashboard templates have also been presented. Finally, the Group officially presented the new update of the analysis of judicial delays in Council of Europe member States based on the case law of the European Court of Human Rights. On 10 October, the Group participated in the 13th plenary meeting of the CEPEJ's pilot courts, in charge of testing in situ and commenting on the draft tools developed by the Saturn Centre.

 Link to the agenda of the meeting of the SATURN Centre

 Link to the agenda of the meeting of the Network of pilot courts

 More information about the SATURN Centre for judiciail time management

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

SATURN Centre

Guidelines, checklists, implementation guides and handbooks