Context of the Project
A team of CEPEJ experts conducted in 2017-2018 a comprehensive evaluation and formulated recommendations on possible reforms in the judicial sector. The reports “Efficiency and quality of the Slovak judicial system, Assessment and recommendations on the basis of CEPEJ tools” and Evaluation of the current state of affairs of IT tools for the Slovak judicial system and advise on their development” were presented in 2018 to members of the judiciary, political decision makers, non-governmental organisations active in the field of justice and the press. The reports contain recommendations referring to topics of judicial independence, access to justice, efficiency and quality of judicial services, the role of the Analytical Centre, judicial statistics, and on improving the IT tools to support the functions of courts.
The Slovak Ministry of Justice and other national stakeholders follow up on the recommendations of the above reports. The Ministry created thematic working groups tasked with priorities such as further specialisation of judges and increasing the flexibility of judicial offices, improving the system of reporting on courts’ performance, case-weighting and distribution of resources, setting up timeframes for judicial proceedings etc. The Analytical Centre is very active in implementing the CEPEJ methodology for evaluation of the courts’ performance and in formulating informed proposal for justice sector policies and managerial decisions.
The new project further supports the implementation of the recommendations and will build upon the progress achieved by the project finalised in July 2019. The project’s official launching took place on 18 November 2019 and its Steering Committee approved a detailed action plan.
Project's objectives
To improve the access to justice in the Slovak Republic through higher standards of operation of the judicial administration, including improved decision-making, and further modernisation of the court management.
Expected outcomes
National stakeholders will be supported with a view to better strategic planning and evaluation of the impact of judicial reforms. Key performance indicators will be adopted for the assessment of courts’ performance and progress. Expert recommendations will be provided on the prioritised judicial innovations such as the case-weighting system, national indicative timeframes for judicial proceedings, new IT case management tools, and their implementation. The court management will be further modernised through the implementation of the good practices achieved by the CEPEJ pilot courts and capacity building will be provided.
Project beneficiaries and stakeholders
Ministry of Justice and its Analytical Centre, Judicial Council
Collaborative workspaces:
