Newsroom
KoSEJ II - first Steering Committee (SC) meeting in Pristina
The First Steering Committee meeting of the KoSEJ II Action took place on 11 September 2019 at the Council of Europe Office in Pristina. Members and observers had the opportunity to discuss thoroughly key aspects of the Action following the KoSEJ recommendations and made concrete proposals for...
Project for the certification of artificial intelligence products in the light of the principles of the European Ethical Charter of the CEPEJ
Following the adoption of the European Ethical Charter on the use of artificial intelligence in judicial systems and their environment in December 2018, the CEPEJ is currently exploring the feasibility of a certification mechanism for AI products used in judicial systems with regard to the...
The shortlisted initiatives of the Crystal Scales of Justice Prize concern the fields of quality of justice, digital justice and mediation
The European “Crystal Scales of Justice Prize”, awarded by the Council of Europe, allows discovering, highlighting and sharing innovative practices aimed at improving the efficiency and quality of judicial systems. Out of 43 applications from 20 different countries, the jury, composed of justice...
Free advice from legal professionals, training and trial simulations from September to November throughout Europe on the occasion of the European Day of Justice
As part of the celebration of the European Day of Justice, several Council of Europe member States will organise from September to November 2019 various events aimed at informing citizens about their rights, including open days at courts, notarial chambers or other institutions and associations...
Meeting of the Working Group on Evaluation of Judicial Systems of the CEPEJ
The Working Group on Evaluation of Judicial Systems of the CEPEJ (CEPEJ-GT-EVAL) will meet in Paris on 23 and 24 September 2019 to discuss the ongoing data collection for the next evaluation report on judicial systems, the structure of this report and possible developments of CEPEJ-STAT, the...
14th annual meeting of the network of pilot courts of the CEPEJ
The CEPEJ's Network of pilot courts, composed of about fifty European courts, makes it possible to collect the opinion, comments and reactions of legal practitioners on the various works in progress within the CEPEJ. This network, composed of civil, criminal and administrative courts of first and...
Managing judicial timeframes: the SATURN Centre is developing new tools for courts
In order to facilitate and standardise the management of judicial timeframes in Europe, the CEPEJ Working Group on judicial time management (SATURN Centre) is developing a number of practical tools for legal professionals and courts. At its 26th meeting, on 2nd and 4th October 2019, in Barcelona...
The Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic proposed to the national legislator the introduction of the “visiting judge” concept with a view to facilitating the replacement of suddenly departing judges or reinforcing the provisionally overburdened courts
Since 1 April 2017 the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic and European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) have been actively engaged in the project “Strengthening the Efficiency and Quality of the Slovak Judicial System”. In the framework of this cooperation and as a result...
The European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) and the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic are concluding the project “Strengthening the efficiency and quality of the Slovak judicial system"
The final conference entitled “Reforms with a view to strengthening the efficiency of the Slovak judicial system and the quality of courts” took place on 9 July 2019, in Bratislava. As part of the conference, Mr Gábor Gál, Minister of Justice and Ms Edita Pfundtner, State Secretary of the...
Workshop on “Driving cyberjustice reforms in Spain through change management”
The President of the European Commission of Efficiency of Justice of the Council of Europe (CEPEJ), Mr Ramin Gurbanov, and the Secretary General for the Administration of Justice of the Ministry of Justice of the Kingdom of Spain, Mr Antonio Viejo Llorente, presided together the workshop “Driving...
The CEPEJ provides institutional support to the Tunisian High Judicial Council ( Conseil Supérieur de la Magistrature- CSM)
As part of the technical assistance provided to the CSM to consolidate the governance of the judicial power, the CEPEJ organised on 28 June 2019 in Paris, a peer working meeting devoted to the preparation of the institution's annual report. This first meeting was an opportunity to answer the...
First activity of the CEPEJ cooperation project « Strengthening the efficiency and quality of the judicial system in Azerbaijan »
On the 2 and 3 July 2019, the first activity of the project « Strengthening the efficiency and quality of the judicial system in Azerbaijan » was held in Baku. It has been a round table on the topic « European trends regarding the status of enforcement agents ». This activity falls under the...
Official launching of the CEPEJ cooperation project « Strengthening the efficiency and quality of the judicial system in Azerbaijan »
On the 2 of July 2019, The Council of Europe, the Azerbaijani Judicial authorities and the European Union officially launched the project « Strengthening the efficiency and quality of the judicial system in Azerbaijan ». This launching event was the opportunity to present the new project to the...
Evaluation of judicial systems - 2018-2020 cycle
The President of the CEPEJ Evaluation Working Group (CEPEJ-GT-EVAL), Mr Jaša Vrabec, visited Nur Sultan (Kazakhstan) on 25 and 26 June in order to launch the first CEPEJ evaluation cycle of judicial systems in this country which is as an observer State to the CEPEJ. This visit has been in...
Second workshop and follow-up discussion on the draft report on key findings and recommendations
A team of CEPEJ experts visited Valletta (Malta) on 25 and 26 June 2019 to present and discuss the draft Report on Key Findings and Recommendations which concerns the functioning of the Court of Appeal (Superior Jurisdiction) and the development of a human resources strategy for the Maltese...
Call for applications for international consultants in the framework of the joint EU/CoE project "Improving the efficiency and quality of the Judicial System in Azerbaijan"
The European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) of the Council of Europe is launching a call for applications to create a pool of international consultants with relevant background to support the CEPEJ Secretariat in the implementation of the joint EU/CoE project "Improving the...
The Council of Europe, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Union officially launch two cooperation programmes in Tunisia to strengthen the independence of the judiciary and improve the functioning of the judicial system
On 20 June 2019, the Council of Europe, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Delegation of the European Union in Tunisia, organised the official launch of the joint European Union/Council of Europe programmes "Project to Support Independent Bodies in Tunisia...
The CEPEJ adopts new tools on cyberjustice and mediation
At its 32nd meeting (Strasbourg, 13-14 June 2019), the CEPEJ adopted a Toolkit for the implementation of the Guidelines on Cyberjustice, a European Handbook for Development of National Legislation on Mediation as well as Guidelines on designing and monitoring mediators training schemes. These...
The CEPEJ supports Tunisia in improving the functioning, performance and access to justice
A team of CEPEJ experts is organising a first meeting with pilot courts on 17 June in Tunis with a view to further consolidating the use of CEPEJ tools, and considering potential cooperation activities. These CEPEJ tools are aiming at improving efficiency and quality of justice and daily...
Cyberjustice and mediation on the agenda of the 32nd plenary meeting of the CEPEJ
The 32nd plenary meeting of the CEPEJ will be held in Strasbourg on 13 and 14 June 2019. The CEPEJ members will meet Mr Linos-Alexandre Sicilianos, President of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), and other judges of the Court, for an exchange of views on possible interactions between the...
Study visit of a Maltese delegation to the Supreme Court of Slovenia in Ljubljana
A team composed of a Maltese delegation (judges, representatives of the Ministry of Justice, Attorney General), members of the CEPEJ Secretariat and a CEPEJ expert will travel to Slovenia on 3 June 2019 to carry out a study visit of the Slovenian Supreme Court in Ljubljana. On this occasion,...
Call for applications for international consultants in the framework of the joint EU/CoE project "Improving the functioning, performance and access to justice in Tunisia (AP-JUST)"
The European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) of the Council of Europe is launching a call for applications to create a pool of international consultants with relevant background to support the CEPEJ Secretariat in the implementation of the joint EU/CoE project "Improving the...
Impact of the Action ”Strengthening the Quality and Efficiency of Justice in Kosovo (KoSEJ)” on the future Strategy on the Rule of Law in Kosovo*
On 26 April 2019, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) Working Group of Kosovo on the functioning of the judicial and prosecutorial system presented its Policy Paper to support the elaboration of the new MOJ’s Sector Strategy on the Rule of Law which take due account of recommendations made in the...
CEPEJ first co-operation with the Egyptian Council of State
Following a request made by the Vice-President of the State Council of Egypt, Judge Mohamed Raslan, a CEPEJ delegation conducted a fact-finding mission in Cairo on 14 and 15 May 2019. The delegation was welcomed by judge Ahmed Abu Al-Azm, President of the State Council which insisted on the need...
Study visits to support the judicial reform in Albania (SEJ II Action)
On 7 May 2019, a CEPEJ study visit was organised in Strasbourg for representatives of the new High Judicial Council, Courts and the School of Magistrates on ‘case flow and court administration’. Albanian beneficiaries were welcomed by the Court President and Public Prosecutor of the Strasbourg...
First workshop and presentation of the Draft assessment report to the Maltese authorities
A team of CEPEJ experts visited Valletta (Malta) on 2 and 3 May 2019 to present and discuss a Draft evaluation report on the functioning of the Court of Appeal (Superior Jurisdiction) and the development of a human resources strategy for the Maltese courts. This report also includes a...
Luxembourg's judicial system: key figures
The Public Prosecutor's Office of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg has just published the annual report of the Luxembourg Justice Department, which contains statistics on the courts and public prosecutors' offices in Luxembourg (data 2018) and the 2018 edition of the brochure "Justice in figures". ...
The Kosovo Judicial Council and Courts in Kosovo* finalise the KoSEJ court coaching reports in preparation of projects with all courts
On 16-18 April 2019, a team of three CEPEJ experts met with representatives of all courts in Kosovo and the Kosovo Judicial Council (KJC), in a workshop and meetings, to finalise court coaching reports on the degree of implementation of the SATURN Time Management guidelines, and identify priority...
The CEPEJ conducts a coaching programme for pilot courts of the Slovak Republic
Six courts of the Slovak Republic (District Courts of Banská Bystrica, Bratislava I, Galanta, and Košice I, as well as Regional Courts of Bratislava and Košice) are actively involved in piloting the implementation of the CEPEJ methodology and tools for increased efficiency of courts and quality...
Third Meeting of the Horizontal Facility Steering Committee for Albania
On 4 April 2019, SEJII beneficiaries from the Ministry of Justice and the High Judicial Council (HCJ) together with the Action Team presented the concrete results of the Action at the third meeting of the Horizontal Facility steering committee for Albania held in Tirana. They also highlighted...
The toolkit on the development of mediation continues to evolve
The CEPEJ Working Group on Mediation continues to develop tools to promote and facilitate the use of mediation in judicial systems. To this end, at its meeting on 6 and 7 May 2019, it discussed in particular the draft European Handbook for mediation Lawmaking, the programme to raise judges'...
Inception Mission of the cooperation project « Strengthening the efficiency and quality of the judicial system in Azerbaijan »
On 3 and 4 April, a team of CEPEJ experts and members of the CEPEJ Secretariat met the main interlocutors and partners of the cooperation programme « Strengthening the efficiency and quality of the judicial system in Azerbaijan »: representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the Judicial Legal...
CEPEJ Newsletter: Everything you need to know about new tools and ongoing work on improving the functioning of judicial systems
The CEPEJ has just published its 17th Newsletter. You will discover the new tools adopted by the CEPEJ in the field of artificial intelligence in judicial systems, control of judicial timeframes, court communication and mediation. Similarly, focus is placed on ongoing work on cyber-justice, case...
CEPEJ first preparatory mission in Tunisia, in the framework of the Programme "Improving the functioning, performance and access to justice in Tunisia" (AP-JUST)
On 18 and 19 March, a CEPEJ team visited Tunis to meet the main partners of the Programme "Improving the functioning, performance and access to justice in Tunisia (AP-JUST)", funded jointly by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe. Discussions were...
Initiating a sustainable data collection process in Kosovo* at the presentation of the Comparative Assessment report of the judicial system (2014- 2017)
On 14 March 2019, the CEPEJ international expert, Ms Julinda Beqiraj presented the main findings of the second CEPEJ assessment report of the judicial system in Kosovo to the judicial authorities, international partners and members of civil society organisations. The report was prepared with the...
The CEPEJ SATURN Centre on Judicial Time Management meets to develop its time management tools and guides
The CEPEJ Working Group on Judicial Time Management (CEPEJ-SATURN) will meet on 3 and 4 April 2019. The agenda of this meeting includes the development of a tool on case weighting in courts, the preparation of Guidelines for a Model Court Dashboard and a study on the role of parties and...
Workshop with court staff and judges to discuss obstacles preventing a speedy resolution of civil cases in Kosovo*
On Thursday 28 February 2019 court staff and judges from the civil division in all basic courts met to discuss the difficulties they face in resolving cases, in particular those which have been pending for several years. During the workshop, the importance to monitor pending cases by age was...
The CEPEJ Working Group on Quality of Justice continues its work on artificial intelligence in judicial systems
The meeting of the CEPEJ Working Group on Quality of Justice took place in Strasbourg on 14 and 15 March 2019. On this occasion, the Group examined the tools for the effective implementation of the principles of the "European Ethical Charter on the use of artificial intelligence in national...
Presentation of the Training Needs Assessment draft report on the continuous training of the Albanian School of Magistrates
The CEPEJ expert Marina Naumovska, presented on 14 and 15 February the first draft of the Training Needs Assessment (TNA) report concerning the continuous training delivered by the Albanian School of Magistrates. The TNA report is based on the results of the interviews conducted with...
Meeting of the national correspondents of the CEPEJ
The meeting of the CEPEJ's national correspondents took place in Strasbourg on 7 March 2019 as part of the opening of the next data collection on the functioning of judicial systems. On the basis of the information provided by the national correspondents (2018 data) at the time of this...
Study visit on the new Israeli case-weighting and risk assessment system and Workshop on the development of the CEPEJ case-weighting tool
The members and experts of the CEPEJ's SATURN working group visited Jerusalem (Israel) on 19 and 20 February 2019 at the invitation of the Israeli Supreme Court. The purpose of this meeting is to learn about the new Israeli case-weighting system recently introduced in some Israeli courts, and to...
Awareness-raising and implementation of the European Ethical Charter on the use of artificial intelligence in judicial systems and their environment
Following the adoption of the first reference framework setting out the principles for the use of artificial intelligence in European judicial systems on 4 December 2018, the CEPEJ was invited to present the Charter at seminars and study sessions around Europe and beyond, and was mentioned by a...
Launching of consultations in view of promoting cyberjustice in Spain through change management and improvement of data collection
In the course of two missions of the CEPEJ experts team to Spain, carried out on 12-13 December 2018 and on 13-15 February 2019, an exchange of information with national authorities and experts was engaged in view of promoting the implementation of cyberjustice tools through streamlined change...
New "Cyberjustice University Diploma - Numerical challenges in Justice and the Law"
The CEPEJ is a partner of the Cyberjustice Cluster of the Law Faculty of Strasbourg and invites you to read the information on the new "Cyberjustice University Diploma - Numerical challenges in Justice and the Law". Description of the Cyberjustice University Diploma [in French] More information...
Kick-off activity in the framework of the Project « Supporting the efficiency of Justice in Malta » in Valetta
The kick-off activity of the Project « Supporting the efficiency of Justice in Malta » took place in Valetta, Malta, on 1 February 2019. CEPEJ experts discussed the expectations of the Maltese authorities, in particular from the judiciary, and identified possible areas of improvement as regards...
Preparation of a glossary of terms used by the CEPEJ containing more than 80 definitions for experts and academicians in the field of justice
The ad hoc Working Group on Definitions continues its work on the preparation of a glossary of terms used by the CEPEJ. It meets in Bologna on 24th and 25th January 2019, at the invitation of the IRSIG (Research Institute on Judicial Systems) Director, Marco Fabri, member of the Working Group....
The Working Group on Evaluation of European judicial systems starts the next evaluation cycle
At its 36th meeting in Paris from 31 January to 1 February 2019, the CEPEJ Working Group on Evaluation of judicial systems (CEPEJ-GT-EVAL) will finalise the necessary documents to launch the data collection for the 2018-2020 cycle. This meeting will also be an opportunity to continue discussions...
Using artificial intelligence to help deliver justice – challenges and safeguards
The first “European ethical Charter on the Use of artificial intelligence in judicial systems and their environment” was adopted by the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) on 4 December 2018. The Charter will be presented to national delegations, stakeholders in EU...
Support to the new scheme for the evaluation of judges in Albania
From 14 to 15 January 2019, CEPEJ international expert Anne Sanders led a seminar and several meetings in Tirana to present and discuss the CEPEJ report on the new system of individual evaluation of judges in Albania established by the Law No 96/2016 "On the Status of Judges and Prosecutors in...
Call for applications for the Council of Europe Prize “Crystal Scales of Justice” for innovative practices contributing to the efficiency and quality of justice until 31 March !
The Council of Europe is organising the 10th edition of the Crystal Scales of Justice Prize. The aim of the prize is to identify and promote innovative practices regarding the conduct of proceedings, court organisation and the functioning of court systems in general. To be eligible for...
Supporting the development of statistical reports to be generated by the Case Management Information System and the introduction of the electronic assignment of cases in Kosovo*
From 17 to 20 December 2018, the KoSEJ Action organised an expert mission to follow-up on the issues raised at the workshop held in May 2018 with high level international expertise to support the development and implementation of the Case Management Information System (CMIS) for courts and...
2018/AO/SEJII/7bis - Call for tender - 18 January 2019 - For the provision of intellectual services on efficiency and quality of Justice at local level - SEJ II
Under the framework of the European Union / Council of Europe Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey, the Council of Europe is looking for a maximum of 6 Provider(s) at local level in order to support the implementation of the Action on ‘Strengthening the efficiency and quality of...
The European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) organised, in cooperation with the Venice Commission, a training course in Morocco on strategic working methods and tools within a Justice Council
At the request of the Training Directorate of the High Council of the Judiciary (HCCJ), on 12 December 2018 in Rabat the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) and the Venice Commission organised a training course on strategic planning tools and techniques, as well as good...
KoSEJ third Steering Committee meeting in Pristina
The Steering Committee meeting of the KoSEJ Action took place on 13 December 2018 in Pristina. This was an opportunity to discuss openly with beneficiaries and partners the activities and results of the KoSEJ Action so far and envisage the months ahead as the last period of the Action approaches...
The CEPEJ adopts new tools for the development of mediation
At its 31st plenary meeting, on 3 and 4 December in Strasbourg, the CEPEJ adopted three new tools to promote the development of mediation in Council of Europe member states. These three tools are (i) a Code of Conduct for Mediation Providers, (ii) a set of Mediation forms that can be used...
The CEPEJ publishes a Guide on communication with the media and the public for courts and prosecuting authorities
The CEPEJ adopted, at its 31st plenary meeting in Strasbourg on 3 and 4 December last, a guide to assist courts and judicial authorities in criminal proceedings (public prosecutors and, where they exist, investigating judges) in managing communication with the public and the media, in particular...
CEPEJ inception and fact-finding mission under the project “Promoting CyberJustice in Spain through change management and improvement of data collection"
A multinational team of experts visited Madrid on 12-13 December 2018 as part of the efforts to support the Ministry of Justice of Spain in process of development and implementation of modern cyberjustice tools. In particular, the CEPEJ shared information on its tools and European good practices...
The CEPEJ organises, in cooperation with the Venice Commission, a training course in Morocco on strategic working methods and tools within a Justice Council
A training course designed to present, in the form of workshops, on the one hand, strategic planning tools and techniques and, on the other hand, good administrative management practices, will take place in Rabat on 12 December 2018. The workshops will be led by French, Portuguese, Belgian and...
Peer review mission of the CEPEJ to Andorra
The CEPEJ Working Group on the Evaluation of Judicial Systems (CEPEJ- GT-EVAL) is organising a peer review mission to Andorra on 10 and 11 December 2018, at the request of its judicial authorities. They will meet with the Presidents of the courts, the Public Prosecutor and the Judicial...
The CEPEJ updates two important documents concerning judicial time management
At the 31st plenary meeting of the CEPEJ held in Strasbourg on 3 and 4 December last, the CEPEJ adopted a revised version of the Guidelines for judicial time management by including Articles 5 and 6 of the ECHR (right to liberty and security and right to a fair trial) and recent cases refer to...
Ramin Gurbanov (Azerbaijan), elected new President of the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ)
At its 31st plenary meeting, Ramin Gurbanov (Azerbaijan) was elected President of the CEPEJ, succeeding Georg Stawa (Austria) who chaired the Commission for four years. Ramin Gurbanov has been a member of the CEPEJ since 2005, a member of the Bureau since January 2015, a member of the Working...
The Charter on the use of AI in judicial systems presented alongside the CEPEJ’s work in progress at the International Conference of the Judicial Policy Research Institute (JPRI) in Korea
At the International Conference jointly organised by the Judicial Policy Research Institute (JPRI) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Korea (Seoul) on 4 and 5 December 2018, the Secretary of the CEPEJ Working Group on Quality of Justice (CEPEJ-GT-QUAL), Clementina Barbaro...
Presenting the preliminary findings of the second CEPEJ assessment of the judicial system in Kosovo*
On 29 November 2018, the CEPEJ international expert Ms Julinda Beqiraj met with the Secretary General of the Ministry of Justice to present the preliminary findings of the second CEPEJ assessment of the judicial system in Kosovo, based on the 2017 data, and to discuss the recommendations made in...
Council of Europe adopts first European Ethical Charter on the use of artificial intelligence in judicial systems
The European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) of the Council of Europe has adopted the first European text setting out ethical principles relating to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in judicial systems. The Charter provides a framework of principles that can guide policy...
Breakfast meeting with Kosovo* civil society organizations to discuss the CEPEJ methodology and indicators
On 22 November 2018, the Group for Legal and Political Studies organised a Breakfast Meeting with the KoSEJ Action and five civil society organisations involved in monitoring the judicial system to discuss the CEPEJ methodology and indicators. This meeting took place at the request of several of...
31st plenary meeting of the CEPEJ: adoption of the first European text defining the ethical framework for the use of artificial intelligence in judicial systems
The 31st plenary meeting of the CEPEJ took place in Strasbourg on 3 and 4 December 2018. On this occasion, a Charter setting out the framework for the use of artificial intelligence in judicial systems has been adopted. This is the first text adopted at European level in this evolving field. The...
Justice professionals commit themselves to the European Day of Justice
41 events were organised in 17 European countries as part of the celebration of the European Day of Justice, dedicated to informing citizens about their rights and aimed at strengthening confidence in judicial systems. Events were organised at national level in several countries such as Belgium,...
The CEPEJ and the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic continue the cooperation in view of increasing the efficiency and quality of the judicial system
A multinational team of experts led by the CEPEJ President, Mr Georg Stawa, visited the Slovak Republic on 6-8 November 2018. As part of this mission the experts had a meeting with the leadership of the Ministry of Justice. Mr Gábor Gál, Minister of Justice, and Ms Edita Pfundtner, State...
Court Coaching Project: Improving the Safety and Security in Albanian Courts
From 12 to 13 November 2018, CEPEJ international experts Pierre Laporte and Michel Perchepied will present and discuss their final report on court security with various beneficiaries and partners in Tirana. The report and accompanying recommendations are based on the experts’ findings from...
Improving the Albanian Case Management System: Study Visit to Estonia
CEPEJ International expert Harold Epineuse accompanied an Albanian delegation of 14 participants, including courts chairpersons, specialists in judicial statistics, the head of the IT Unit at the Ministry of Justice and a chief inspector from the High Council of Justice of Albania, on a study...
Developing and strengthening the use of mediation in the member states: meeting of the CEPEJ Working Group on mediation (CEPEJ-GT-MED)
The 4th meeting of the CEPEJ-GT-MED took place in Strasbourg after its reactivation in early 2017. After having assessed the use of its 2007 mediation Guidelines in the member states (links below), the GT-MED decided in 2017 to develop a set of tools to complement the Guidelines, compiled in the...
The European Day of Justice, for citizens to better know and understand how their justice system works
Since 2003, the European Union and the Council of Europe have been celebrating the European Day of Justice - a day on which individuals in Europe can better understand how the courts work; the roles of judges, prosecutors, lawyers, registrars and other legal professionals. Video message from the...
Increasing access to online information at the Basic Court of Pristina to follow-up on the court users’ satisfaction surveys
Within the frame of the satisfaction surveys held at the end of 2017, access to information (on the court website in particular) was identified as requiring improvements. For this reason, the court, with the support of the Action, has developed a leaflet to answer frequently asked questions...
Presentation of the report “Categorisation of the role of Court Presidents, Chancellors, and Legal Assistants”
The findings of the CEPEJ report on the “Categorization of the role of Court Presidents, Chancellors, and Legal Assistants” were presented in Tirana on 17 October 2018. The seminar was attended by around 40 participants, including court presidents, chancellors, legal advisors and assistants,...
Meeting of the CEPEJ Evaluation Working Group
The 35th meeting of the Working Group on Evaluation of Judicial Systems of the CEPEJ (CEPEJ-GT-EVAL) took place on 6 and 7 November in Venice. Following the recent publication of the 2018 edition of the report "European Judicial Systems - Efficiency and Quality of Justice", the Working Group...
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tunisia thanks the CEPEJ for its support
On 9 October, within the framework of the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tunisia, Mr. Khemaies Jhinaoui, thanked the CEPEJ for the support given to the cooperation programmes in implementation since January 2012, financed by the...
25 October, European Day of Justice: do not miss the opportunity to benefit from free advice from legal professionals
As part of the celebration of the European Day of Justice, from September to November 2018 several Council of Europe Member States are organising various events aimed at informing citizens about their rights; in particular open door events in courts or notarial chambers, as well as live...
Publication of the CEPEJ report "European judicial systems - efficiency and quality of justice": what impact in the European press?
The publication of the 2018 edition of the CEPEJ report entitled "European judicial systems - efficiency and quality of justice" which provides a complete picture of the functioning of justice in terms of budget, timeframes, equal opportunities, access to justice, court performance, information...
Efficiency and quality of justice: Council of Europe publishes its 2018 report
Paris, 04.10.2018 – The European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) of the Council of Europe sets out the main trends observed in this field in 45 European countries (*) today in a report and a publicly accessible interactive database. The trends identified by this 7th evaluation...
Call for tenders - Intellectual services on efficiency and quality of Justice in the Republic of Albania based on CEPEJ tools
Under the framework of the joint European Union / Council of Europe programme entitled :”Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey”, the Council of Europe is looking for a maximum of 6 Provider(s) at local level in order to support the implementation of the Action on “Strengthening...
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...
Watch the video of the Conference: "Artificial intelligence at the service of the Judiciary", 27 September 2018, Riga (Latvia)
The CEPEJ and the Courts Administration of Latvia organised a conference on "Artificial Intelligence at the Service of the Judiciary" in Riga (Latvia), on 27 September 2018. This conference was opened by the Minister of Justice of Latvia and the President of the CEPEJ, and brought together...
Peer evaluation of CEPEJ in “The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”
On request of the Ministry of Justice of “The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, a team of CEPEJ experts will visit Skopje, on 19 and 20 September 2018 , to carry out a peer evaluation of the judicial system. In this occasion different judicial institutions and courts will be visited and...
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in judicial systems at the heart of the discussions of the CEPEJ Working Group on Quality of Justice
The CEPEJ Working Group on Quality of Justice will hold its 24th meeting in Riga (Latvia), on 25 and 26 September 2018. At the event, the Group will examine the challenges and opportunities related to the application of algorithms in judicial systems, with a particular focus given to so-called...
Meeting in Strasbourg with 50 CEPEJ Pilot courts on 10 October to trial and comment on the diverse ongoing work of the CEPEJ
The 13th plenary meeting of the CEPEJ Network of Pilot courts took place in Strasbourg on 10 October 2018. Courts visiting from all member States and some observer States of the Council of Europe, worked on the following themes : judicial timeframes, which the CEPEJ wishes to refine in relation...
Fostering communications between courts and their users to improve the quality of justice in Kosovo*
According to the CEPEJ Handbook for conducting satisfaction surveys, the organisation and communication of feedback to the users are an integral part of the survey process. Following the satisfaction surveys that were held at the end of 2017 with the support of the KoSEJ Action at the Basic...
The CEPEJ newsletter on the theme: "Predictive justice and artificial intelligence", also specifying the ongoing activities, has just been published
The CEPEJ has just published its 16th Newsletter dedicated to the theme of: "Predictive justice and artificial intelligence (AI)”. Artificial intelligence in the field of justice is central to debates in all Council of Europe member States. The newsletter provides an overview of some of AI's...
Presentation of the tailor-made methodology for the judicial map review for Albania
On 20-21 June 2018, Carmela Germinario, CEPEJ expert, presented the final work on the proposed methodology for Albania developed according to the CEPEJ indicators to support the planned judicial map review, which will be launched by the future High Judicial Council, and is currently being...
Results of the SEJ II Second Steering Committee meeting
The Second Steering Committee meeting of the SEJ II Action took place on 11 July 2018 in Tirana, Albania. It was co-chaired by the European Union and the Council of Europe. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the SEJ II Action in its new phase with the agreement to extend the Action until...
Strengthening the use of Information technologies (IT) in the justice system in Albania
On 3-6 July 2018, in Tirana, Albania, CEPEJ experts met with the Ministry of Justice, the General Prosecutor Office, the School of Magistrates as well as key partners from Euralius and USAID to present tailor-made CEPEJ experts’ documents for Albania with concrete suggestions for the preparation...
Presentation of the results of the satisfaction surveys in 2 courts in Albania
On 13-14 June 2018, the CEPEJ expert, Mr. Marko Aavik, met individually with the Presidents of the Shkoder Court of 1st Instance and the Tirana Appeal Administrative Court to present the CEPEJ report analysing the results of the satisfaction surveys carried out in each of these courts with the...
Current challenges and work of the CEPEJ
Georg Stawa, President of the CEPEJ talks about the current work and challenges of the CEPEJ.
The CEPEJ organises a training session "Justice, media and social networks" in Tunisia
About fifty participants (judges, in particular spokespersons of Tunisian courts, journalists, lawyers) have been brought together by the CEPEJ and the Tunisian Ministry of Justice for a training session on "Justice, media and social networks" on 11 July 2018 in Tunis. Its objective was to...
Celebration of the 15th anniversary of the CEPEJ
Mrs Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe opened the ceremony to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the CEPEJ, together with Georg Stawa, President of the CEPEJ. Speech by Mrs Gabrielle Battaini-Dragoni, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe...
Launch of the 2017 data collection process to assess the judicial system in Kosovo*
On 20 June 2018, a CEPEJ international expert initiated, in Pristina, a new assessment phase based on 2017 data according to the CEPEJ evaluation grid which was adapted to Kosovo. This second initiative comes from a direct request of key KoSEJ beneficiaries to follow-up on the in-depth assessment...
15 years of contributions from the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) to the improvement of how judicial systems function in Europe
The CEPEJ plenary meeting from 27 to 29 June will also mark the celebration of its 15th anniversary. For 15 years, the CEPEJ's activities have supported member states in improving the efficiency and quality of their judicial systems, in accordance with Council of Europe principles and standards....
Artificial intelligence and data analysis: Defining clear processing purposes compatible with fundamental rights
The processing of judicial data must meet clear objectives as accepted by the scientific community. These procedures must be carried out in compliance with the fundamental rights guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights and the Convention for the Protection of Personal Data. With...
Closing synthesis meeting EU/CEPEJ/Morocco Programme to support the Justice Sector Reform in Morocco
A synthesis meeting will be held in Rabat on the morning of 19 June 2018 and will bring together representatives of the Moroccan Ministry of Justice, the Presidency of the Prosecution Services, the High Council of the Judiciary (CSPJ) as well as members of the CEPEJ Secretariat and...
Workshop with high level international expertise to support the future Case Management Information System (CMIS) in Kosovo*
On 24-25 May, the President of the CEPEJ together with a group of seven CEPEJ international experts on the use of information technologies in judicial systems led a workshop in Kosovo for representatives of courts, prosecution offices, the Kosovo Judicial Council, and the Kosovo Prosecutorial...
International Union of Judicial Officers (UIHJ) contributes to the CEPEJ's Evaluation Exercise
Today, on its website and in the CEPEJ-STAT system, the CEPEJ publishes the contribution from the International Union of Judicial Officers (UIHJ) to the specific study of the CEPEJ on the legal professions. This study includes the 2014 CEPEJ data, enhanced by examples relating to the practices...
30th plenary meeting of the CEPEJ
During its 30th plenary meeting, the CEPEJ will also use the occasion to celebrate its 15th anniversary. Since 2003, the CEPEJ has been entrusted by the Committee of Ministers with the task of improving the quality and efficiency of judicial systems and strengthening the confidence of individuals...
Results of the CEPEJ court users’ satisfaction surveys conducted in three courts in Kosovo*
On 15-16 May, the CEPEJ presented its expert’s analysis of the results of the individual court users’ satisfaction surveys that were carried out with the Basic Courts of Gjakova, Pristina and Prizren, in accordance with the CEPEJ Handbook for conducting satisfaction surveys. A workshop was...
The work of the CEPEJ through the Report of the Secretary General
In his report 2018 on "the situation of democracy, human rights and the rule of law", the Secretary General of the Council of Europe recalls the importance of the CEPEJ's work for the implementation of the Action Plan to strengthen the independence and impartiality of the judiciary. It is based...
Developing a positive relationship between media and prosecutorial offices in Albania
The CEPEJ participated on 14-15 May 2018 in a training for Albanian prosecutorial offices on their relationships with the media. The purpose of this activity was to increase the transparency of justice, the quality of reporting of criminal cases by the media, and public trust. Practical examples...
Meeting of the CEPEJ Working Group on Mediation
The Working Group on Mediation (CEPEJ-GT-MED) will meet on 24 and 25 May in Strasbourg to discuss and adopt a Toolbox aiming to complement the CEPEJ Guidelines on family, civil and criminal mediation. On this occasion, it will also discuss the results of the study on the impact of the CEPEJ...
Meeting of the Working Group on Evaluation of Judicial Systems
The meeting of the Working Group on the evaluation of European judicial systems (CEPEJ-GT-EVAL) in Strasbourg took place on 15 and 17 May to prepare the next edition of the report "European judicial systems - Efficiency and quality of justice". The meeting of the CEPEJ national correspondents,...
The Judicial Council of Latvia discussed the CEPEJ experts' report “Evaluation of the Latvian judicial system”
A team of CEPEJ experts developed in cooperation with the Court Administration of Latvia the report “Evaluation of the Latvian judicial system”, which puts forward an expert view on the Latvian judicial system and the possible ways of improving the judicial independence and self-governance, as...
On 3-4 May 2018, in Fez, the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice of the Council of Europe is organising a second training session for Moroccan court registrars in the framework of the programme to support the justice sector reform in Morocco funded by the European Union
All administrative officials from the registry office of the courts of the north of the Kingdom of Morocco, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the Higher Institute of the Judiciary and the Archives Regional Centers, will be gathered by the European Commission for the...
New CEPEJ website
The CEPEJ is pleased to announce the launch of its new website. The functions provided are fully efficient and can be easily viewed on all (smart) mobile devices. Site features are less dense and graphics have been improved. Information presented on the site has been streamlined, reviewed and...
The CEPEJ organised training for the administrative managers of Moroccan courts
On 12 and 13 April 2018 in Marrakech, CEPEJ presented a court management training session aimed at the administrative managers of the Moroccan courts and given by experts of the CEPEJ; recognised legal professionals hailing from France, Belgium, Switzerland and Portugal. Focusing on "The role of...
How to weight a judicial case? A key indicator for time measurement in courts
After the finalised and published its first version of Judicial Timeframes, the CEPEJ SATURN Centre embarked on a new goal in 2017, this being an in-depth study about the different mechanisms of case weighting adopted in European courts. The 23rd meeting of the SATURN Centre (April 2018) was an...
CEPEJ participated in the worldwide meeting of judicial systems in Marrakech, celebrating the first anniversary of the establishment of the Supreme Council of the Judicial Power of Morocco (SCJP)
Representatives of judicial systems from all over the world celebrated the first anniversary of the establishment of the Supreme Council of the Judicial Power of Morocco (SCJP)in Marrakech, from 2 to 4 April 2018. The Council of Europe and the CEPEJ, partners of the Moroccan authorities, were...
Court coaching project in Albania to reinforce court safety and security
On 20-21 March 2018, two international experts of the CEPEJ launched a court coaching project to improve safety and security measures in courts in light of the CEPEJ Guidelines on the Organization and Accessibility of Court Premises. Experts visited courts in Tirana, Fieri and Berati and led a...
The highest Moroccan authorities in charge of justice launched together an international seminar on the management of the means of the prosecution services
The CEPEJ and the Presidency of the Public Prosecutor's Office of the Kingdom of Morocco (an institution recently set up in the framework of the Moroccan judicial reform), jointly organised an international seminar in Rabat on the management of the means of prosecution services on 29 March 2018....
Online survey about the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in judicial systems
In the framework of a study led by the CEPEJ, the Working Group on quality of justice (CEPEJ-GT-QUAL) would like to gather relevant experience in the Council of Europe’s member States about current applications of artificial intelligence (mainly machine learning) in the justice field. You would...
Court Presidents and the Kosovo Judicial Council are increasing their use of CEPEJ indicators in Kosovo*
On 1 March, Court Presidents presented their 2017 annual reports to the Kosovo Judicial Council (KJC). On this occasion, the KoSEJ Action witnessed positive results of its cooperation with beneficiaries to improve their methodology to analyse and report on judicial statistics. The annual reports...
The weighting and duration of judicial proceedings will be examined during the meeting of the CEPEJ SATURN Centre
The Steering Group of the SATURN Centre for Judicial Time Management (CEPEJ-SATURN) will hold its 23rd meeting on 5 and 6 April 2018 in Strasbourg. Its work will mainly concern the devising of a case weighting indicator for jurisdictions. The Group will also examine the updated analysis on the...
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The next CEPEJ Newsletter, to be published in April 2018, will focus on justice systems of the future, predictive justice, artificial intelligence and e-justice. Please use the link below to subscribe. Subscription form to the CEPEJ Newsletter
CEPEJ and the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic presented the report “Efficiency and quality of the Slovak judicial system”
The Minister of Justice of the Slovak Republic, Ms Lucia Žitnanská, and the President of CEPEJ, Mr Georg Stawa, presented the report “Efficiency and quality of the Slovak judicial system / Assessment and recommendations on the basis of CEPEJ tools” which puts forward an expert view on the current...
Peer review mission in Montenegro
On the invitation of the Ministry of justice and in co-operation with the Judicial Council of Montenegro CEPEJ organised a two days Peer Review mission with an objective to support Montenegro in improving the availability and quality of the judicial statistics in line with the CEPEJ key...
Training on court management for Chancellors of all courts of Albania
The European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ), in cooperation with the School of Magistrates, provided training for Chancellors from all courts in Albania. With the justice reform, Chancellors will have a new and more important role in managing courts in cooperation with other...
Ad hoc meeting of the Working Group on the Evaluation of European Judicial Systems
The ad hoc meeting of the CEPEJ Working Group on the evaluation of European judicial systems took place in Paris on 19 February 2018 in order to make an/with the aim of making an initial assessment of data collection and quality control for the 2016-2018 evaluation cycle of European judicial...
Piloting the future Case Management Information System at the Basic Court of Ferizaj (Kosovo*)
On 7 February 2017, a visit was organized to witness the testing of the future Case Management Information System (CMIS), by its users (court staff) at the Basic Court of Ferizaj. In parallel to its direct work with courts in a court coaching programme which includes Ferizaj, the KoSEJ Action is...
Presentation of the Evaluation report of the Latvian judicial system by CEPEJ experts
The report “Evaluation of the Latvian judicial system” has been developed by a team of CEPEJ experts in cooperation with the Court Administration of Latvia, putting forward an expert view on the Latvian judicial system and the possible ways of improving judicial independence and self-governance,...
