The “Balkan Enforcement Strengthening Project” (BESP) funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and implemented by the Centre for International Legal Cooperation and UIHJ, gathered on the 24th and 25th of February Ministries of justice and Chambers of enforcement agents from the Western Balkan countries in Strumica, North Macedonia to discuss disciplinary proceedings and ethics. UIHJ was represented by its first vice-president Jos Uitdehaag.
Within the BESP project a “Comparative Study on Disciplinary Process and Practice of Judicial Officers” was developed, analyzing the disciplinary process and practice in five Balkan jurisdictions: Albania, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. The Study shows if the existing national disciplinary practices fit into the Fair Trial framework set by the European Court on Human Rights and identifies good practices and any gaps using the Fair Trial concept as a benchmark.
In addition, national factsheets for each jurisdiction were compiled by the BESP project’s international expert Katilin Popov through review of national statutory regulations, analysis of disciplinary case-law and practical experience gathered through online meetings with local counterparts: legal practitioners, judges, members of the disciplinary bodies, representatives of Judicial Officers and the Ministries of justice.
By comparing judicial officers’ discipline in all five jurisdictions covered, participants at the regional workshop will get acquainted with good practices from the region that they could eventually transpose at home.
Based on the study and the outcomes of the regional workshop, regional Guidelines for Disciplinary Proceedings will be developed.
