In the framework of the Council of Europe / European Union Eastern Partnership PCF 2015-2017 project “Support to increased efficiency of courts, improved training of judges and judicial self-governance in Azerbaijan”, a delegation from Azerbaijan, including the representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the Justice Academy, the Judicial Legal Council and Judges’ Association of the Republic of Azerbaijan, visited Bulgaria on 29-30 September 2016. During the visit the Azerbaijani delegation met the Director of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) of Bulgaria as well as other representatives of this institution, learnt about the structure of NIJ, its programmes and best practices in management of the initial and continuous training of judges and e-learning. The participants of the study visit also had a chance to familiarise themselves with the Educational Information Centre of NIJ. Moreover, the Azerbaijani and Bulgarian counterparts shared ideas on possible future co-operation between the two institutions. 

In the course of the visit, the delegation from Azerbaijan also met with representatives of the Ministry of Justice of Bulgaria and was informed about its functions and its role in the training of judiciary. 

As a result of the study visit, the representatives of the justice stakeholders from Azerbaijan explored the Bulgarian practices in institutional development of national justice schools and training of the judiciary, exchanged experience and established new contacts for possible co-operation between institutions.