The European Union and Council of Europe joint action “Strengthening the Quality and Efficiency of Justice in Albania” (SEJ III) started today the training with representatives of the district and appeal courts on the use of the new methodology for the collection of judicial statistics. The training provided an opportunity for the courts’ staff in charge of statistics to gain a better understanding of the new methodology for the collection of judicial data, which will improve the quality of the public service of justice delivered to the Albanian citizens, in accordance with CEPEJ standards and tools .

In her opening remarks, the Head of the Council of Europe Office in Tirana Ms Jutta Gützkow, emphasized that the new methodology, based on CEPEJ standards will further support the national courts in improving and harmonizing the statistical activity of the courts, reducing the burden of the responsible court staff and increasing capacities to use judicial statistics as important tools towards a more efficient management, transparency, and accountability of the court activity.

The Head of the Commission on Ethics and Performance Evaluation in the High Judicial Council (HJC)Ms Brikena Ukperaj, praising the support from the action emphasized the importance of the new methodology and the correct application of the statistical charts to ensure reliable data that will enable the court and HJC to better measure and evaluate the performance of the courts and the comparable reporting between the different courts.

The seminar was attended by the staff of the courts in Albania, chancellors, secretaries, and IT specialist who are directly involved in the process of collection of judicial data which contributed to a very interactive session and important clarifications about specific concerns raised by the participants.

The action “Strengthening the Quality and Efficiency of Justice in Albania” is part of the joint EU and Council of Europe “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022” programme, which aims to enable the Beneficiaries to meet their reform agendas in the fields of human rights, rule of law and democracy and to comply with the European standards, including where relevant within the framework of the EU enlargement process.