25 October 2011

SUMMARY INFO OF THE EVENT PROMOTION OF BOOKS “INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTS FOR INDEPENDENT AND EFFICIENT JUDICIARY” EDITION I AND EDITION II, 27 October 2011

In the framework of the series of events marking the European Civil Justice Day of the Council of Europe, the Academy for Judges and Public Prosecutors on 27th October 2011 organised a promotion of the books with title “International documents for independent and efficient judiciary” edition I and edition II.

The books are published by the Academy for Judges and Public Prosecutors with financial support of the OSCE Mission to Skopje.

Namely, it is a collection of international documents divided in two editions which contain the Opinions of the Consultative Council of European Judges (CCJE) within the Council of Europe, accompanied by total of 63 selected referent international documents which guarantee the independence and efficiency of the judiciary adopted by different bodies and committees of the Council of Europe especially of CEPEJ, as well as international documents adopted by the United Nations and selected case-law of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg which have been cited in the opinions and on which the opinions are based on. All these opinions, referent documents and case – law are translated in Macedonian language and put in these books which will be widely distributed to all judges, prosecutors and to other representatives of the legal profession.

It is important to note that the preparation of these two editions of the book began and took place during the six-month presidency of the Republic of Macedonia with the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, but also in the year when the Council of Europe celebrated the 60th Anniversary of adoption of the European Convention for human Rights and the Consultative Council of European Judges celebrated its 10th Anniversary.

The Academy for judges and public prosecutors will surely continue with codification and publishing of all future opinions and its referent documents of this very significant body of the Council of Europe which is committed to improve the status of judges and strengthening the independence and efficiency of the judiciaries in all European democratic states.

The introduction of the books as well as the systematization of the Opinions and the other referent documents and case-law have been prepared by judge Aneta Arnaudovska, director of the Academy for Judges and Public Prosecutors and a member of the Working Group of the Consultative Council of European Judges.

“We celebrate the European Day of Justice together with promotion of two very important books not only for our judiciary but in general for our state” – stated Mr. Blerim Bedzeti, minister of Justice of the Republic of Macedonia who also stressed that it is good to promote the achievements and commitments contained in the strategic objectives in the field of justice.

“The books contain documents which comprise a widest range of issues related to the status of judges, ethics and disciplinary responsibility, media relations, quality of court justice” – informed judge Aneta Arnaudovska, director of the Academy for Judges and Public Prosecutors.

The books have been promoted by judge Gerhard Raissner, vice- president of the Consultative Council of European Judges, President of the district court of Floridsdorf, Vienna (Austria) and President of the European Association of Judges.

After the official promotion of the books, the event continued with a seminar for court presidents on “International standards for court management and guarantees of judicial independence and efficiency”. In this occasion Mr. Raissner had a lecture about the international standards for independent and efficient judiciary and court management through the CCJE’s Opinions while the president of the Macedonian Judges Association referred to the judicial reforms in the Republic of Macedonia through the legislative amendments aimed at strengthening the efficiency and transparency of the judiciary with guarantees for judicial independence and their implementation.