Euralius
EURALIUS (European Assistance Mission to the Albanian Justice System) is a technical support project for the European Union that supports the judiciary in Albania and aims to bring their efficiency closer to EU standards. The main goal of EURALIUS is to strengthen independence, efficiency, accountability and public trust in the Albanian judicial system according to EU standards and best practice.
EURALIUS I
The EURALIUS project was started in 2005 because the Albanian judicial system needed fundamental reform as a result of the upheaval . It lasted from June 13, 2005 to November 15, 2007.
The main objective of the EURALIUS project was to develop an independent, efficient, professional and transparent judiciary by increasing the capacity of the Ministry of Justice and the courts, thereby helping to restore citizens' trust in these institutions.
State beneficiaries included the Ministry of Justice, the High Council of Justice , the Public Prosecutor's Office , the General Department of the Penitentiary System , the prisons in the districts and courts of all instances.
The project consisted of ten objectives and international experts provided advice in the following areas:
- Organization of the justice system and promotion of dialogue and cooperation in the justice system
- Law drafting and legal approximation
- Judicial budget planning and management
- Management of courts and case management
- Prison issues
- Coordination of the EU justice projects in Albania
The implementation of the EURALIUS I project was the responsibility of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Justice and the project was managed by the Center of Legal Competence (CLC).
The successes achieved by EURALIUS I include, among other things, instructions for drafting laws for the responsible department in the Ministry of Justice, the introduction of an electronic system for civil cases (CCMIS), numerous recommendations for laws, draft laws and ordinances, a feasibility study on options for alternative penalties and the introduction of a probation agency by the Albanian government.
EURALIUS II
EURALIUS II followed immediately after EURALIUS I and lasted from November 15, 2007 to June 30, 2010. The follow-up project had the same main objective. The project was again under the direction of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Justice and the management was again carried out by the Center of Legal Competence (CLC).
The international experts mainly worked on the sub-projects:
- Constitutional regulations, performance improvement, delimitation of responsibilities and cooperation between institutions, organic laws
- Justice Department Workforce Planning and Management / Financial Management
- Quality of legislative drafting, approximation of legislation to EU standards, advice on legislation and cost analysis of draft legislation
- Prison organization, pre-trial detention and alternatives to imprisonment
- enforcement
- Management of cases and management of the courts
- Criminal justice
- Administration of land and real estate laws
The results achieved during EURALIUS II include a new edition of the instructions for law drafting, a manual for trainers of trainers for accountants in judicial institutions, numerous training courses and study trips to EU member states as well as conferences for judges, prosecutors and officials of the Ministry of Justice.
EURALIUS III
EURALIUS III lasted from September 15, 2010 to June 15, 2013. This project was implemented by the Fundacion Internacional y para Iberoamerica de Administracion y Politicas Publicas (FIIAPP). The general aim of the project was to develop a more independent, efficient, professional, transparent and modern justice system in order to strengthen the trust of citizens in these institutions and to promote the rule of law. Once again, the same state institutions as in the previous projects benefited.
The project consisted of five sub-projects:
- Reform of the judicial system
- Support the judiciary
- Criminal law
- Enforcement of case law
- Administration of court cases
The results include improvements in legislation, training courses for Justice Department officials and subordinate agencies, and numerous recommendations.
EURALIUS IV
EURALIUS IV started in September 2014 and will last until December 2017 and is under the motto of consolidating the Albanian judicial system . On the Albanian side, the following main institutions of the Albanian judiciary are involved: Ministry of Justice, High Judicial Council, General Prosecutor's Office, Judicial Accounting Office, Supreme Court, Judicial School, Courts, Parliamentary Legal Committee, National Bar Association and National Chamber of Notaries.
The EURALIUS IV project consists of five sub-projects:
-
Judicial reform and the organization of ministries The
main objective of this sub-project is to support the Albanian authorities in designing and implementing strategies for the judicial system to ensure independence, transparency and efficiency. In addition, the service processes in the Ministry of Justice and subordinate agencies are to be improved. Easier access to the courts and the transparency of court proceedings are further goals. -
High Judicial Council and Supreme Court
This sub-project aims to support the High Judicial Council to ensure that its decisions on judges are based on professional, appropriate and transparent facts. The purpose of supporting the Supreme Court is to strengthen its independence, efficiency and effectiveness so that it can fulfill its constitutional task of providing guidance to all courts in Albania by standardizing the judiciary. The supervision of judges is also to be improved. -
Criminal justice and public prosecutor's office
Measures are planned to improve the approximation of criminal legislation, especially in international cooperation, and to support reforms in criminal law. The aim is to improve the efficiency, independence and accountability of public prosecutors by complying with European standards and better supervising public prosecutors. -
Efficient court administration
This sub-project focuses on improving the transparency of the courts and increasing the efficiency of the administrative staff in the judiciary. Further training for the staff in judicial administration is planned. Work is also being done to improve the management of legal cases, procedural regulations and a common technology across the country. Further goals are to shorten the duration of proceedings, reduce the number of pending cases in the courts, and improve services for those seeking justice. -
Legal professions and judges' school
The sub-project works to strengthen the National Bar Association, the National Chamber of Notaries and the State Committee for Legal Aid and Cost Aid, in particular through administrative assistance in disciplinary proceedings, a code of ethics and training programs for lawyers and notaries as well as through the support of civil society organizations, legal assistance to offer. The judges' academy is supported in developing further training programs for judges and public prosecutors.
The experts' activities include strategic advice to strengthen the institutions, support in drafting legislation, training, coaching, seminars and study visits to EU member states.
At the end of July 2016, the Albanian parliament passed a comprehensive judicial reform, in which EURALIUS was one of the driving forces. Numerous laws and constitutional articles have been adapted so that the judiciary can work more independently of political influences and corruption in the judiciary can be better combated.
Web links
- Official website of EURALIUS
- Delegation of the European Union to Albania
- Center for International Legal Cooperation
- Prosecutor General: Euralius IV, the opportunity to modernize the criminal justice
- Departamenti i Administratës Publike: Bashkëpunimi me Euralius
- Ministry of Justice: Reforma në drejtësi, EURALIUS mbledh Komitetin e Aktorëve të interesuar
Individual evidence
- ↑ Euralius - What we do. (No longer available online.) In: www.euralius.eu. Formerly in the original ; accessed on August 5, 2016 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ EURALIUS I. (No longer available online.) In: www.euralius.eu. Formerly in the original ; accessed on August 5, 2016 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ EURALIUS II. (No longer available online.) In: www.euralius.eu. Formerly in the original ; accessed on August 5, 2016 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ EURALIUS III. (No longer available online.) In: www.euralius.eu. Archived from the original on August 5, 2016 ; accessed on August 5, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Euralius - What we do. (No longer available online.) In: www.euralius.eu. Formerly in the original ; accessed on August 5, 2016 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Deutsche Welle (www.dw.com): Christian Lange: Reforma në drejtësi - moment kthese kulturore në Shqipëri | Ballkani | DW.COM | 02/10/2016. In: DW.COM. Retrieved July 28, 2016 .
- ↑ Bashkëpunimi me EURALIUS. In: www.dap.gov.al. Retrieved July 28, 2016 .
- ↑ Reforma në drejtësi, EURALIUS mbledh Komitetin e Aktorëve të interesuar. (No longer available online.) In: www.drejtesia.gov.al. Archived from the original on July 28, 2016 ; accessed on July 28, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Prosecution Office: EURALIUS IV, the opportunity to modernize the criminal justice. In: www.pp.gov.al. Retrieved July 28, 2016 .
- ↑ EURALIUS: Ad Hoc final meeting on draft constitutional amendment management. (No longer available online.) In: www.euralius.eu. July 22, 2016, archived from the original on August 5, 2016 ; accessed on August 5, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Legal reform for more rule of law. In: albanien.ch. July 22, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2016 .
