On 6-8 May 2017, representatives of the new High Judicial Council, Courts and the School of Magistrates participated in a study visit organised in Strasbourg and Frankfurt. The purpose of the visit was to observe good practices in the field of case flow management and court administration in the Court of Strasbourg and Frankfurt and to discuss issues of the reform which are currently being addressed by the CEPEJ Working Groups, in particular SATURN, EVAL and QUAL.

Albanian beneficiaries were welcomed by the Court President and Public Prosecutor of the Strasbourg ‘Tribunal de Grande Instance’, the President of the Bar Association and court staff at all levels to have a practical and dynamic exchange on the different roles of magistrates, lawyers, and their relationship as well as on the initial and continuous training. Additional meetings involved the Council of Europe Head of the Justice and Legal Cooperation Department and the Secretariat of the CEPEJ to address priority issues of the reform in Albania in light of the on-going work of the CEPEJ.

In the follow up visit to Frankfurt Appeal Court (Oberlandesgericht) the participants had the opportunity to get acknowledged with the procedure for the acceleration of the proceeding and the general timelines in the Criminal Court proceeding. The delegation visited also the Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt where they had the opportunity to discuss on the State Protection Proceedings and Civil Proceedings at the Higher Regional Court, with particular emphasis on the acceleration requirement.

This activity has been organized in the frame of the European Union/Council of Europe SEJ II Action “Strengthening the efficiency and quality of the justice system in Albania” part of the Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey and in cooperation with the Organisation for Cooperation and Security in Europe (OSCE) in the framework of “Justice without Delays” Project.