Impact and lessons of the COVID-19 crisis as regards the efficiency of justice and the functioning of the judiciary

During the Covid19 pandemic, member States had to adapt to new circumstances. A compilation of measures was made by the CEPEJ at the beginning of the health crisis and is regularly updated. To guide States, the CEPEJ organised a meeting on 10 June 2020, in the framework of the Greek Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers, on the impact and lessons of the COVID19 crisis as regards the efficiency of justice and the functioning of the judiciary, which led to the adoption of the "Declaration on lessons learnt and challenges faced by the judiciary during and after the COVID19 pandemic"

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Seminar 10 June 2020: Impact & lessons of the COVID-19 crisis on the functioning of the judiciary

Session I - Impact of the Covid19 crisis: is it possible to ensure normally the public service of justice?

Session II – After the Covid19 crisis: which lessons for the justice systems in 2021 and beyond?

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Back Conclusions of the seminar on possible solutions for a better management of cases in courts at the time of the Covid-19 crisis for Tunisian magistrates and registrars

Conclusions of the seminar on possible solutions for a better management of cases in courts at the time of the Covid-19 crisis for Tunisian magistrates and registrars

Magistrates and chief registrars from different jurisdictions met on 5 May to exchange with CEPEJ international and national experts on best practices for the internal management of European and Tunisian courts in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic

The main conclusions of this videoconference focus on the following points

- the period of the pandemic was a learning period, which should be used to improve judicial systems and enhance the flexibility of procedures;

- a time management system based on the CEPEJ methodology should be initiated in a simple, manual way, accessible by all courts and based on performance indicators of case flow and length of proceedings; a case weighting system could also be considered;

- it is important to allow for the adaptation of judicial systems to periods of crisis through (temporary or permanent) changes in procedural rules;

- the use of alternative dispute resolution methods should be encouraged as a means of relieving the burden on the courts;

- the use of new technologies in the courts is becoming increasingly urgent, first and foremost the use of videoconferencing in court hearings;

- the need to review the internal rules so that courts, as places where the public and many staff are received, are at all times able to comply with safety and health rules;

- training will play a key role in post-pandemic court systems;

- It is essential to involve all relevant actors in society in the new forms of management and organisation of justice systems, including local authorities;

- Courts must be provided with sufficient human, financial, material and IT resources to enable them to carry out their functions efficiently and with quality.

This activity was organised by the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) in partnership with the Tunisian Ministry of Justice and within the framework of the joint European Union/Council of Europe programme to improve the functioning, performance and access to justice in Tunisia (AP-JUST) co-financed by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the latter.

Tunisia 05 May 2021