UIHJ at the heart of a TACIS project
At the end of 2004, UIHJ won an EU project on the support of bailiffs and ushers in the Republic of Azerbaijan.
A vast market
It was UIHJ that took this vast market of 1.25 million euros, lasting 21 months, mainly as a result of the great work accomplished by its secretary, Bernard Menut, now director of the project.
The strategic objective focuses on helping to strengthen the autonomy and ability to take initiatives of the officers in charge of enforcement, in order to make it more effective and efficient, as well as to increase the respect and trust of the citizens in the Judiciary.
The project has four specific objectives:
- improved functioning of the bailiffs and ushers system, through legal reform, better implementation of the laws, and modernised management practices in the bailiffs and ushers service
- professional development of bailiffs and ushers through institutional support to the judicial training centre and improved training programmes
- greater information resources including manuals to guide the working practices of bailiffs and ushers, and publication of materials concerning their work for the general public
- enhanced functioning of the bailiffs and ushers service through and implementation of the enforcement information system/database
In order to meet those objectives, the project proposes a pool of specific activities for each component but aimed at providing an integrated approach in terms of assessments, need analysis, national and international seminars and workshops, study tours, development of training programmes, pilot implementation in Baku and provinces, design and implementation of an Enforcement Information System/Database, etc.
Work in progress
The office of the project is located at the Court martial of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in Baku. The team leader is Mr Marco Corsi, who stays permanently there. He is assisted by Bernard Menut, who travels regularly to Baku, by Lothar Hahn (Austria), IT expert, Imran Valiyev (Azerbaijan), vice team leader, Lala Bayramova, translator, and Gulnaz Atayva, office manager. Several experts of UIHJ have already stayed in this historical city of Baku of 2 millions inhabitants on the side of the Caspian sea, well known for its caviar and its oil. Ton Jongbloed, professor at the Utrecht University (the Netherlands), well known of all UIHJ members, made the first mission. He was soon followed by two members of the Committee of UIHJ, Marc Schmitz and Mathieu Chardon, in June 2005, for several days. Of course, other experts from UIHJ are to follow to help realizing this great project.
A visit at the head office of UIHJ, prior to the Permanent council in November 2005
A delegation of about 10 Azeri representatives of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic oz Azerbaijan, including Mr Alekanov, head of the bailiffs and ushers service, travelled to Paris in June 2005. They met with the president Isnard, who declared his full support to the Azeri Judicial Officers and proposed the help of UIHJ.
This declaration obviously had an effect on the delegation. Back in Baku, there were many talks of the creation of an association of Judicial Officers in order to join UIHJ. There are also rumours of attending the next Permanent council in Paris in November 2005... Should we already get prepared to the joining of Azerbaijan at UIHJ ?
