Description
The Electronic Court Register Informational System (ECRIS) is an important tool used for the management of case files and related information by the courts and prosecutor’s offices. The system needs to be redesigned in order to accommodate all major challenges, both operational and strategic, for ensuring the constant improvement of the efficiency of the judiciary. Also, the human resources which will be responsible with the implementation of future IT development projects such as the envisaged development of the case management system, needed to be consolidated. The Project’s overall objective is to increase the efficiency of the court system through best practice dissemination on the use of electronic case management systems (CMSs), and consolidation of the essential hardware infrastructure at the level of the judiciary, paving the way for the future developments of CMS, in alignment with e-justice policies and standards. This will be attained by strengthening knowledge and know-how of key personnel within the Romanian judiciary on implementing major IT projects with a special focus on CMSs, and by updating necessary IT infrastructure. The project targets the institutions at the level of the Romanian judiciary. The Norwegian Courts Administration and the Council of Europe, as DPPs, contribute to the organisation and implementation of activities, facilitate the identification of relevant best practices and provide the Romanian authorities with references of relevant European standards.
Summary of project results
The project ”Improvement of the Electronic Court Register Information System - ECRIS” aimed to increase the efficiency of the judiciary system by disseminating best practices on the use of electronic case management systems and strengthening the hardware infrastructure, essential for the judiciary system. The project was implemented in partnership with the Council of Europe (CoE) and the Norwegian Courts Administration (NCA). At the same time, a working group was established consisting of the representatives of the main beneficiaries at the level of the judiciary (MoJ-IT Department, Judicial Statistics Office, High Court of Cassation and Justice, Bucharest Court of Appeal, Bucharest Tribunal, first instance court of District 4- Bucharest, the Superior Council of Magistracy, the Judicial Inspection, the Prosecutor's Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice, the National Anticorruption Directorate, the Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism, the National Administration of Penitentiaries). The main results of the project are as follows: Within Component 1 "Strengthening the knowledge and know-how of key personnel within the Romanian Judiciary who implement important IT projects, with a particular emphasis on case management systems”, a study was developed based on the DPP experts' data collection visits necessary to assess the current Case Management System (ECRIS), with the aim of recommending good practices on the use of case management systems across Europe and how they can be adapted to the Romanian one. Additionally, three study visits took place for the Romanian specialists to familiarize themselves with current practices in European countries (Norway, Netherlands and the UK) where modern case management systems exist. 258 specialists (judges, prosecutors, clerks, IT specialists) involved in the implementation of large-scale IT projects for the Judiciary were trained in specific topics (project management, business analysis, Agile methodology, SQL Server Administration, Linux Administration). Within the component 2 ”Consolidation of the IT infrastructure”, 787 pieces of IT equipment (routers, switches, servers and storage equipment) were purchased and installed, strengthening the IT network of the judiciary in order to be able to support the current and the future revamped case management system, together with other supporting IT applications used by the beneficiaries in current activities.
Summary of bilateral results
As envisaged, the framework offered by the project represented a premise and an opportunity for ensuring the transfer by the donor project partners of knowledge, experience and best practice adapted to the peculiarities of the Romanian justice system, and for the shared achievement of the project's results. The project envisaged the involvement of the experts appointed by the donor project partners, and thus specific activities were carried out in cooperation with them (e.g., the elaboration of the study with recommendations on relevant best practices regarding the use of case management systems in Europe and how they can be adapted to the Romanian ECRIS). Furthermore, there were organised steering committees with the participation of the project promoters and of the donor project partners, in Bucharest, Oslo/ Trondheim and Strasbourg. The meetings tackled specific issues concerning the organisation and implementation of the project, including its continuation and use of savings, bilateral relations, and other administrative issues. Thus, the partnership contributed to achieving one of the major overall objective of the MFN 2009-2014, strengthening the bilateral relations between Norway as donor state and Romania as beneficiary country in the judiciary field.