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Description
The project aims at improving the application of European legal concepts by the Romanian judiciary, given the major changes faced by the Romanian judiciary due to the enforcement of new main legislation. The project envisages the training of judges, prosecutors, clerks and other law specialists in specific fields of activity (e.g., public procurement, administrative and fiscal litigation, international judicial cooperation, hearing techniques for minors). The trainings will explore both the European and the national perspective, thus helping professionals to get a broader view on European law enforcement. Guides for legal professionals and long term training curricula for the judiciary will be also developed.
The project is structured in four outputs. Specific activities shall aim at developing the judicial culture, at enhancing the child friendly justice environment, including setting-up dedicated hearing rooms, at improving access to justice, especially for vulnerable groups, as well as at the further strengthening of the institutional capacity (IT infrastructure).
One special concern is the improvement of the situation of the Roma population and of other vulnerable groups, specific activities being envisaged, such as specialised training for non-legal professionals in order to improve the effective access to justice. The project has also an endowment component (technical, IT and furniture). The modern equipment will support the specific activities of the institutions within the judiciary and the courts of law, including the training capacity of the judiciary.
The NCA, as DPP, supports the implementation of activities, by appointing experts for the specified activities (training activities and drafting of guides) and providing advice and guidance.
The NIM and the NSC are key partners in the project as national training providers for the judiciary, and thus they will be mainly involved in the organisation and delivery of trainings.
Summary of project results
The project’s main objective was to improve the application of European legal concepts by the Romanian judiciary, given the major changes faced by the Romanian judiciary due to the enforcement of new legislation. The professional training provided by the project was conducted bearing in mind the relationship between the European perspective and the national perspective, allowing judges, prosecutors and other legal professionals to fully understand and apply the European legal concepts in their professional activity, at a national level.
The project aimed to address four outputs:
- Output 1 Legal professionals trained in European legal concepts;
- Output 2 Legal professionals trained in child interviewing techniques;
- Output 3 Non-legal professionals trained in legal remedies for vulnerable groups;
- Output 4 Judicial IT infrastructure and technical equipment upgraded.
Output 1 – Legal professionals trained in European legal concepts
Under this output, a total of 77 seminars for a total of 1.738 participants were organised, out of which 1.566 legal professionals (judges, prosecutors, clerks etc.), who were trained in European legal concepts. The training topics concerned: public procurement, procedural rules applicable to administrative litigation, fiscal procedure, international judicial cooperation and special procedures in civil matters, judicial cooperation in civil and criminal matters, CJEU jurisprudence in matters of fundamental rights and execution of criminal decisions, with a focus on specific issues related to Roma population.
Furthermore, 19 seminars on ECHR jurisprudence in matters of fundamental rights were organised for a total of 455 participants, out of which 275 judges who were trained in human rights.
Also, four long-term curricula were developed on the following topics: public tenders, execution of judgments, fiscal procedure and hearing techniques for minors.
Other relevant activities were carried out, out of which it is worth mentioning the organisation of 20 seminars for 308 court clerks an and the elaboration of a guide on the execution of criminal decisions, with a focus on specific issues related to Roma population.
Output 2 – Legal professionals trained in child interviewing techniques
15 seminars on hearing techniques for minors, especially of Roma ethnicity were organised for 353 professionals (judges and prosecutors, as well as other legal and non-legal professionals), who were trained in child-interviewing techniques.
Complementary to the trainings, other activities were carried out such as the elaboration of a best practice guide on hearing techniques for minors and the organisation of a best practice exchange mission in Norway.
Furthermore, 51 hearing rooms for minors were set up within several courts of law, consolidating the results achieved under this output. The hearing rooms were endowed with furniture, decoration elements (e.g., carpets, paintings), consumables and IT equipment (audio-video systems – to allow all interested parties to attend the hearing in real time and to allow the recording the hearing, in order to avoid multiple hearings of the child). Where needed, the actual preparation of the room (renovation, cleaning etc.) was made by the courts of law on their own account, based on a protocol concluded with the PP. In addition, 8 seminars to raise awareness on the use of hearing rooms for minors were organised for 135 professionals (judges and other legal professionals).
Output 3 – Non-legal professionals trained in legal remedies for vulnerable groups
While the other outputs envisaged also activities targeting the improvement of the situation of the Roma population and of other vulnerable groups, this output was dedicated entirely to this objective. Thus, 9 workshops on the access to justice of Roma population and other vulnerable groups were organised for 183 non-legal professionals (e.g., members of the mixt working groups of public policies for Roma people, local experts for Roma, sanitary mediators, school mediators) who were trained in legal remedies for vulnerable groups.
2 conferences on the access to justice of Roma population and other vulnerable groups were also organised, with the participation of 81 judges, prosecutors and non-legal professionals.
Output 4 – Judicial IT infrastructure upgraded
Under this output, 110 courts (107) and central judiciary institutions (3 – the Superior Council of the Magistracy, the National Institute of the Magistracy and the National School of Clerks) were endowed with upgraded IT infrastructure (e.g., working stations, printers and multifunctional machines, videoconference systems, video projectors, laptops, UPSs, SANs, power generator, air conditioning systems for servers etc.).
The project addressed the needs of the Romanian judiciary in topics of interest from the European approach, helping them acknowledge the latest legislative developments and thus contributing to a unified jurisprudence.
Furthermore, the project contributed to the consolidation of a child-friendly justice system. Thus, through the trainings provided, guidelines developed and hearing rooms set up, it was aimed to create a better judicial environment for children involved in judicial proceedings, regardless of their role.
The project also further contributed to the improvement of the situation of the Roma population and of other vulnerable groups, especially in what regards their relation with the judicial system, the activities carried out offering an adequate setting for dialogue between different professionals with relevant competences.
Last but not least, the project consolidated the administrative capacity of the judicial system, as the IT infrastructure was upgraded at the level of courts and central institutions.
Summary of bilateral results
The project benefitted from the experience of the Donor Project Partner – the Norwegian Courts Administration on multiple levels. First of all, the NCA supported the Project Promoter (the Superior Council of the Magistracy) in the overall coordination and implementation of the project. To this end, the NCA appointed experts for the specific activities (for training activities, respectively for drafting of guides on execution of criminal decisions, with a focus on specific issues related to Roma population and on hearing techniques for minors, especially of Roma ethnicity). Furthermore, the NCA helped organise a mission in Norway for Romanian judges in order to facilitate the exchange of best practices concerning the hearing techniques of children, the Barnahus concept being highlighted.On the other hand, the role of the DPP was highly valued in the extraordinary circumstances under which the project had to be implemented. Thus, the NCA helped the project overcome the hindrances posed by the COVID-19 pandemics, exploring solutions, along with the PP and the other project partners, to organise trainings in a time when physical meetings were restricted.The NCA and the SCM have cooperated for a long period, the project in discussion continuing and complementing other initiatives undertaken within the previous financing cycle (NFM 2009-2014). Further cooperation is taken into account, including in the context of the next NFM 2021-2028.