The activity is carried out with funding by the European Union via the Structural Reform Support Programme and in cooperation with the European Commission's DG Structural Reform Support.
Context of the Project
The CEPEJ and the Maltese authorities have been working in cooperation for 12 years with a view to ensuring a swift and time-efficient judicial system in Malta. The CEPEJ has therefore carried out several court coaching activities in Malta throughout the years, to collect and analyse data on its judicial system and develop recommendations on judicial time management. To further strengthen this dynamic and give a solid framework to this cooperation, the programme “Supporting the efficiency of Justice in Malta”, funded by the Structural Reform Support Service (SRSS) of the European Commission, started in December 2018 this first part of the project which initially covered a period of 12 months has been extended to June 2020.
To address and meet these challenges, a CEPEJ team of high-level international experts has been set up and was supported by a national taskforce of Maltese justice professionals.
Project's objectives
The first part of the Project implementation period was aiming at conducting an in-depth assessment of the current situation in Malta, as regards both the improvement of the functioning of the Court of Appeal Superior Jurisdiction (CASJ), and the development of a Human Resource strategy for the Maltese courts.
In this respect, a first Draft Assessment Report was drafted based on all information shared by the Maltese and based on the feedback of the key stakeholders. It is composed of an assessment of the situation, best practices from European member states, and tailor-made recommendations. The report was then finetuned throughout the year, thanks to the discussions and feedback from the beneficiaries and stakeholders, but also with the good practices drawn from a Study Visit organised in June with a delegation of Maltese stakeholders to the Supreme Court of Ljubljana.
The refined assessment and sharpened Recommendations have been compiled in a Final Report on Key Findings and Recommendations which was presented to the Maltese authorities during the Final event in Valletta on the 13 November 2019.
In the second part of the project, new activities aimed at implementing some of the recommendations, including setting up a triage system to improve the efficiency at the level of the Court of Appeal, but also on supporting the development of the new Court Administration Agency, have been agreed upon.
Expected outcomes
Improved capacity of the Court of Appeal Superior Jurisdiction to tackle its backlog, based on a good knowledge of the main areas of improvements and targeted recommendations
Improved capacity of the Department of Justice and other relevant judicial stakeholders to manage human resources, based on a good knowledge of the main areas of improvements and the development of a solid Human resources strategy for judicial and non-judicial staff
Project beneficiaries and stakeholders
Ministry of Justice, Attorney General’s Office, the Court of Appeal Superior Jurisdiction, courts, judges and non-judge staff. The project is funded by the European Commission's Structural Reform Support Service.
Back
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 presentation of good practices from other European Member States, as well as recommendations developed by the experts.
In order to refine the recommendations and collect as much information and data as possible, exchanges were held with the Judicial Studies Committee, bar representatives, judges from different jurisdictions, Deputy Registrars and court clerks, and directors of court administration. This activity was organised as part of the programme "Supporting the efficiency of justice in Malta", funded by the European Commission's Structural Reform Support Service (SRSS).
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