EU to assists Albania’s justice reform

TIRANA, May 23 – European Union and the Council of Europe have invested in a joint project in Albania as a support to efficiency of justice.
The 1.15 million euro project was launched this January and will continue for two years aiming to strengthen the capacity of the Albanian judicial authorities in different aspects of judicial management and bring their practices in line and in full compliance with the standards and guidelines set by the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ), a CoE body that has developed a unique methodology, a set of tools and guidelines successfully implemented in its member states.
“The assistance provided by the European Union to Albania in the area of the rule of law, which so far amounts to around 100 million Euros is testimony to our commitment to Albania’s EU-integration. We will continue supporting Albania in its endeavor to achieve this goal, not only through policy guidance, but also with financial assistance,” said EU’s Director General for Enlargement at the European Commission Christian Danielsson.
Justice is Albania’s Achilles’ heel in more than two decades of its post-communist democracy.
This joint EU-CoE initiative will assist Albania strengthen the efficiency and quality of justice services provided to the Albanian public.
The Joint Project “EU / CoE Support to Efficiency of Justice – SEJ” is expected to raise the preparedness of the judicial authorities to better address the existing needs, as well as to improve the planning and distribution of human and financial resources. The targeted and tailored assistance provided to each court of Albania will have a positive impact on the daily functioning of the courts, better distribution of work and time management, and are expected to have a positive impact on the day-to-day work of judges and court staff.
This project will help Albania to fully meet the needs of its justice system as regards improving the efficiency and quality of justice, also in view of the 2nd EC priority for the accession talks with Albania.