Description:

The project ”Focus on judicial reform for the 2009 parliamentary elections” was targeted at the 2009 parliamentary elections. More specifically, it wanted to make sure that Judicial Reform issues are high on the agenda of the media and the major political parties and that the campaign is coupled with a meaningful debate of these issues. BILI used the capacity of a group of Rule of Law NGO’s to support a statement of Judicial Reform Priorities. After the election BILI used the accumulated momentum to advocate for the adoption and implementation of an effective strategy for further Judicial Reforms by the new Parliament/Government.

Funding/Support/Partner:

Grant agreement between Konrad Adenauer Foundation and BILI titled ”Focus on judicial reform for the 2009 parliamentary elections”

Key events:

• Round table discussion "Parliamentary Elections 2009 with focus on Judicial Reform" (June 11, 2009)
• Round table discussion "Judicial Reform 2009 - 2013: Absorbtion" (Dec 2, 2009)
• Public presentation and round table discussion of the "Strategy to Continue the Judicial Reform in the Conditions of full Eropean Union Membership" (May 17, 2010)

 

Outcomes:

Direct results of the project were the establishment of the legal reform blog (blawg.bg); series of publications in the media partner; an Open letter drafted by the NGO coalition outlining the key issues in the judicial reform and listing a number of measures which need to be taken in order to start tackling them and two high profile roundtables. As a result of this letter BILI has organized a big high profile conference which was labeled as "the most important event in the judicial reform" for the last year. It stimulated the open and sincere debate on the problems in the judiciary and resulted in some concrete suggestions for legislative changes in the Judicial System Act which are currently pending in the Parliament.

As an additional outcome or rather an effect from that last event was the activity of the Ministry of Justice to develop a Strategy to continue the judicial reform. BILI team provided expertise with regard too. As a result a very profound and complex document was drafted outlining for the first time all the issues related to the sustainable implementation of the judicial reform, thus going beyond the four years term of he current government. The Strategy was subject to a broad public discussion organized by BILI in cooperation with MoJ and KAS and finally adopted by the Council of Ministers. Furthermore, as a direct outcome of the adopted Strategy BILI was invited to contribute to the development of the Action Plan which aims at executing the envisaged in the Strategy goals. Experts from the Institute have participated in the first two meetings of the Council entitled to scrutinize the implementation of the Strategy, thus ensuring civil control over its  adequate execution and displaying the alacrity of the MoJ to collaborate with structures of the civil sector.

In addition to the above mentioned activities BILI focused on the process of selection of members of various governmental and state institutions performed by the Parliament. Specifically the Institute worked in coalition with other NGOs on the procedure for election of members of the Supreme Judicial Council from the parliamentary quota. As a result of these efforts an open letter with concrete suggestions on how to make the selection procedure more objective and transparent was sent to the President of the Parliament in May, 2010. Regrettably, none of the NGOs participating in that initiative received any feedback from the addressee of the letter.

Moreover, BILI prepared together with KAS the publication of 800 copies of the Strategy in both English and German which are being distributed to various diplomatic and EU institutions.