CCJE-BU(2014)5

Strasbourg, 27 October 2014

BUREAU OF THE CONSULTATIVE COUNCIL

OF EUROPEAN JUDGES

(CCJE-BU)

Brief report on the external activities of the CCJE –

participation in various fora, conferences, seminars, workshops and projects,

as well as responses to requests for assistance  

for the period of October 2013 – October 2014

Document prepared by the Secretariat

Directorate General I – Human Rights and Rule of Law


External (non-CCJE) activity

(substance, date, place)

Action by the CCJE

(substance, date, place)

Fourth Conference of the Ministers of Justice of Central Asia and the Eruopean Union - EU Rule of Law Initiative for Central Asia

Astana (Kazakhstan), 14 and 15 October 2014  

Gerhard Reissner, Former President of the CCJE (Austria) and CCJE member

First conference that marked the beginning of the project on the relations between judges and counsels from the perspective of Opinion no. 16 of the Consultative Council of European Judges Râmnicu Vâlcea Conference, 3 October 2014,

Judge Dr. Adrian Bordea, the President of the High Council of Magistrates, Judge Dr. Rodica Aida Popa, Romania's representative within the Consultative Council of European Judges, Marius Gabriel Săndulescu and Robert Condurat, Presidents of the Criminal Sections within the Court of Appeal in Pitești and Craiova, respectively, the representatives of Counsels, Counsel Professor Dr. Dan Oancea, Vice-President of the Romanian National Union of Bar Associations, Counsel Petruț Ciobanu, the representative of the National Institute for Training and Improvement for Counsels, Counsel Monica Livescu the Dean of the Vâlcea County Bar, Counsel Florin Homescu the Dean of the Gorj County Bar, Counsel Mihăiță Bobatu, the Dean of the Olt County Bar, Counsel Dănuț Rolea, the Dean of the Mehedinți County Bar, Counsel Alin Postelnicescu, the Dean of the Argeș County Bar, and the representatives of the Executive, Mr. Robert Cazanciuc the Minister of Justice, Mr. Liviu Stancu, State Secretary within the Ministry of Justice, and several judges, counsels and other guests.

Conference for judges in Romania focusing on the CCJE standards, Bucharest, 11-13 September 2014.

Mr Bart van Lierop, President of the CCJE, Mr Gerhard Reissner, former President of the CCJE (in 2012-2103), Ms Nina Betteto, member of the CCJE Bureau, and Mr Orlando Afonso, member of the CCJE Working Group, will participate and make presentations on the CCJE Opinions and their implementation.

Workshop for trainee judges at the Dutch Judicial Training Centre SSR on international standards on the independence of judges on 2 July 2014.

Mr Bart van Lierop, President of the CCJE, participated.

Request of legislative expertise from the Slovak member of the CCJE: letter of 11 June 2014.

The CCJE Bureau elaborated its expert assessment of the recently approved amendment of the Constitution of Slovakia (so called “security clearance” for judges) and sent it to the Slovak member of the CCJE: letter of 1 July 2014.

Joint meeting of the CCJE Working Group and the Commission of the German Federation and Länder for the Analysis of Judicial Autonomy in Europe (Judicial System Commission), Berlin, 23 June 2014.

Members of the CCJE Bureau and Working Group participated, exchanged experience and discussed issues of common interest related to the status of judges, their appointment or election, career and evaluation in the context of judicial independence.

General Assembly of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary (ENCJ) in Rome on 11 -13 June 2014.

Mr Bart van Lierop, President of the CCJE, participated.

Project on developing the capacity of the judiciary and judicial self-governance implemented by the Council of Europe in Georgia.

Mr Bart van Lierop, President of the CCJE, participated in the project as expert. In particular, he undertook, in June 2014, a fact-finding mission to Georgia to meet with the project stakeholders. He will provide the Council of Europe with a contribution to the inception report of the project, as well as further advice on its implementation.

Matra South programme at the Asser Institute in The Hague.

Mr Bart van Lierop, President of the CCJE made a presentation on the activities of the CCJE to judges from Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Jordan in the framework of Matra South on 26 May 2014.

Conference entitled “Indepen-dence of the judiciary, a European Comparison” at the German Judicial Academy in Wustrau on 21-23 May 2014.

Mr Bart van Lierop, President of the CCJE, participated.

Conference entitled “Judicial Cooperation Techniques for the Protection of European Fundamental Rights: Past and Future Prospectives” organised by the European University Institute (EUI) and the Italian Centre for Judicial Cooperation on 9-10 May 2014 in Florence, Italy.

 

Mr Bart van Lierop, President of the CCJE, participated and presented the views of the CCJE on international co-operation between judges. Mr Stephane Leyenberger, Secretary of the CCJE, also participated and delivered a presentation on the activities of the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ).

Conference organised by the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice within the framework of Norway Grants on the subject of the judicial integrity, Sofia, 1-2 April 2014.

Mr Bart van Lierop, President of the CCJE, participated and made a presentation on the principles of judicial integrity, highlighting the Council of Europe standards.

Workshop on the independence of the judiciary organised by the association Judges for Judges at the Court of Appeal in Amsterdam on 26 March 2014.

Mr Bart van Lierop, President of the CCJE, participated.

1194th meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, 12 March 2014.

Mr Gerhard Reissner, former President of the CCJE (in 2012-2103), made presentation to the Committee of Ministers focusing on the CCJE Opinions and the Situation Report on the judiciary and judges in the Council of Europe member States.

Project entitled “Strengthening the capacity of the judiciary as regards the implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights“ implemented by the Council of Europe in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Ms Nina Betteto, member of the CCJE Bureau, participated in the project as expert. In particular, she participated in an assessment mission for consultations with the key stakeholders of the project and prepared, in March 2014, an analysis of the evaluation criteria for judges in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Request of legislative expertise from the Ukrainian member of the CCJE: e-mail of 12 March 2014.

The CCJE Bureau discussed the request. Mr Gerhard Reissner, former President of the CCJE, participated in the project work of the CoE in Ukraine and prepared, in March 2014, an assessment of the Law “On the Restoration of Trust in the Judiciary of Ukraine” (so called “lustration law”).

Request of legislative expertise from the Deputy Secretary General of the High Council of Judges and Prosecutors of Turkey: e-mail of 10 January 2014.

Communication of concerns from MEDEL with attached letter of YARSAV (Association of Judges and Prosecutors of Turkey): e-mail of 9 January 2014.

The CCJE Bureau prepared its expert assessment, on 12 February 2014, of the draft Law to amend the Law on the High Council of Judges and Prosecutors and Related Laws.

Opening of the judicial year at the European Court of Human Rights, which included a seminar on the topic of “Implementation of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights: a shared judicial responsibility?”, Strasbourg, 31 January 2014.

Mr Bart van Lierop, President of the CCJE, and Ms Nina Betteto, member of the CCJE Bureau, participated and highlighted the CCJE activities.

The CCJE was invited in December 2013 by the CoE Steering Committee for Human Rights (CDDH) to appoint an expert to participate in the Drafting Group to prepare a report on the long-term reform of the system of the European Convention of Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights.

Mr Alain Lacabarats, member of the CCJE Working Group, was appointed as an expert and he participates in the work of the Drafting Group, particularly in its meetings throughout 2014: on 19-21 March, 14-16 May, 24-26 September and in mid-December 2014.

On October 28 and 29, 2013 the Academy of Judges and Public Prosecutors organized a Conference on the Relations between the Judges and Attorneys reviewed by the Consultative Council of European Judges and to the Council’s Opinion No. 16 within the Memorandum of Cooperation signed with the Embassy of Republic of France in Macedonia, in cooperation with the Bar Association of Republic of Macedonia and the Embassy of Republic of France in Macedonia.

Besides the Director of the Academy, Mrs. Aneta Arnaudovska, and the President of the Bar Association of Republic of Macedonia, Mr. Nikola Dodevski, presentations related to the subject of conference also had the French experts: Mrs. Alexandra Guerin, public prosecutor and Mr. Serge Almodovar, attorney.