In order to strengthen the capacity of the Georgian Bar Association management and staff to apply management techniques efficiently, the EU/CoE Joint Project "Support to the Georgian Bar Association" organised a strategic and financial planning/evaluation workshop on 26-27 February 2016. Training was designed to enable GBA to use more efficient management techniques; to further perform a mid-term strategy evaluation and prepare annual action plan and budget for GBA, based on the existing strategy. President of the Bar, Mr Zaza Khatiashvili opened the workshop by thanking the Council of Europe for bringing the European standards closer to the Georgian lawyers, hence introducing incentives for constant improvement. The workshop benefited from the active participation of the Georgian Bar’s Executive Council, Ethics Commission and the Training Centre. The workshop combined theoretical aspects of strategic/financial planning with best practices from Member States’ bar associations. This participatory approach and combination of trainings, practice sharing and group works further inspired participants to rethink 2016 action plan directions.

During the workshop, the lawyers had the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the theoretical and practical aspects of cost-efficient approach whilst budget-planning, followed by the on-spot evaluation of the existing 2014-18 strategy and the relevance of the objectives therein.  Lawyers’ active involvement in the discussions and the willingness to openly argue on the Bar policies highly contributed to the successful accomplishment of the workshop. Participants extensively discussed with moderators best practices for financial planning and budgeting of professional bodies and associations, which allowed to formulate some key principles and quick wins to improve GBA budgeting process. Georgian Bar Association’s management body representatives took back to their work concrete ides for the upcoming year and noted that the 2016 action plan draft would be revised before its submission to the Executive Council. As the Executive Council member concluded, “the strategic planning cycle image will stay in their minds every time voting procedure takes place at the association”.

This meeting was organised by the EU/CoE Joint Project "Support to the Georgian Bar Association", which is funded by the Programmatic Cooperation Framework for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus. The Council of Europe and European Union are working in partnership with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus to help them meet European standards in human rights, democracy and the rule of law and improve the lives of citizens.