This activity envisions a package of measures aimed at carrying out an active information and policy both for the project target groups and for the general public on the Norwegian Finance Mechanism 2014-2021, the implementation, impact and results of the support from the financial mechanism for the project, as well as on the cooperation with the institutions in Norway.
The planned measures to disseminate information about the project via the Internet include the organization of information venues – press conferences, the elaboration of promotional information materials, as well as the development of a dedicated project website in Bulgarian and English languages, highlighting the assistance of the Norwegian Finance
Press Conference on the project „Modern learning environment for judges, prosecutors, investigating magistrates and other legal professionals“
On 14.03.2023 at 11:00 in hall 201 of the National Institute of Justice will be held an Interim Press Conference under the project Modern learning environment for judges, prosecutors, investigating magistrates and other legal professionals“.
· 10:30 – 11:00 : Registration;
· Opening remarks: MIGLENA TACHEVA, Director of the National Institute of Justice;
· Welcome address: KRUM ZARKOV, Minister of Justice and keeper of the state seal. Governor of the Programme Operator;
· Successful partnership: IWAR ARNSTAD, Head of the International Secretariat at the Norwegian Courts Administration and institutional partner of the project „Modern learning environment for judges, prosecutors, investigating magistrates and other legal professionals”;
· Progress achieved: SILVIYA DIMITROVA, Project Leader of „Modern learning environment for judges, prosecutors, investigating magistrates and other legal professionals“;
· Discussion.
The NIJ presented a new modern website and 13 training spaces in the judiciary, built up and equipped with the financial assistance of the NFM
“Over the past 2-years, together, we have overcome many challenges that we faced for the first time; we had to be bold and innovate in project implementation – in a short timeframe, without prior clarity on the immediate impact, but with faith in the ultimate success.”
With these words, the NIJ Director Ms. Miglena Tacheva opened the press conference dedicated to the results achieved under the project “Modern learning environment for judges, prosecutors, investigating magistratres and other legal professionals”, implemented with the support of the Justice Programme of the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014-2021. The event took place on 14 March 2023 in Hall 201 of the National Institute of Justice.
Ms. Tacheva emphasized on the cooperation with the Ministry of Justice as Programme Operator of the Justice Programme of the Norwegian Financial Mechanism and highlighted the commitment and the support of the Minister of Justice, Mr. Krum Zarkov, for the realization of the ambitious goals of the project.
Mr. Krum Zarkov, Minister of Justice and keeper of the state seal who is also Governor of the Programme Operator of the Justice Programme, made opening remarks at the conference. 45 representatives of the professional community – judges, prosecutors, court officials and experts took part in the public event.
The institutional partner of the project, the Norwegian Courts Administration, was represented by the Head of the Secretariat, Ivar Arnstad, who stated that “we all have something to learn from each other” and noted the high level of professionalism in the implementation of the project as a key factor in achieving the objectives of the Justice Programme of the Norwegian Financial Mechanism.
The Chairperson of the Plovdiv Court of Appeal, Ms. Magdalina Ivanova and the prosecutors Nina Velichkova and Radoslav Lazarov from the Varna District Prosecutor’s Office joined the press conference online, directly from the respective shared training spaces, equipped under the project. “Since the beginning this year, we have been actively using the equipped court room # 215 to organize experience-sharing activities and professional discussions” said Judge Ivanova.
The projects launched by the Institute in 2020 are worth a total of BGN 3 324 911 and are aimed at creating a modern learning environment in which the standards of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Charter of Fundamental Rights can be applied – through training, provision of learning resources and integration of best practices. As part of its efforts to modernize the learning environment for the Bulgarian judiciary, the NIJ reported the completion of the 13 shared training spaces built and equipped across the country and the training activities planned in them; the effectively functioning Forum on Human Rights as a full-fledged tool for planning the Institute’s overall training activity; the maintenance and upgrading of the online platform “Judicial Ethics”; the development of training resources for the different levels of the judiciary, in line with the judicial training standards adopted by the NIJ Management Board in 2022.
One of the achievements under the project, a new modern and interactive NIJ website, was officially launched on the day of the press conference.
NIJ Forum on Human Rights
The NIJ project “Modern learning environment for judges, prosecutors, investigating magistrates and other legal professionals”, funded under the Justice Programme of the Norwegian Financial Mechanism (NFM) 2014-2021, envisages strengthening and upgrading the Human Rights Forum, established by the Supreme Judicial Council during the previous NFM programming period, as a sustainable platform for information exchange and expert support in the field of fundamental rights protection.
The Human Rights Forum is an effective and sustainable tool for planning the overall training activities of the Institute in line with the fundamental rights. The NIJ Forum functions through established communities that are assigned specific tasks in the field of the rule of law, ethics and professional conduct, justice for children, protection of fundamental rights and various aspects of law enforcement.
The following professional communities have been established within the Forum on Human Rights:
– Judicial ethics and professional conduct;
– Justice for children;
– Protection of human rights in civil, criminal and administrative law context.
The Human Rights Forum also hosts a group for the development of structured training content of self-learning resources (manuals, guides and handbooks) to support the planning and implementation of the NIJ training activities.
The Forum communities are built on a multi-professional basis and include magistrates, employees from institutions with relevant competences, NGO representatives and other professionals with in-depth knowledge and experience.
The main function of the human rights protection communities is related to planning the NIJ training activities in accordance with the fundamental standards for human rights protection and information exchange.
As of 10.03.2023, the Forum members amounted to 126.
Study visit to the European Court of Human Rights
Under the NIJ project “Modern learning environment for judges, prosecutors, investigating magistrates and other legal professionals”, funded under the Justice Programme of the Norwegian Financial Mechanism2014-2021, a visit to the European Court of Human Rights was organised for 10 representatives of the Human Rights Forum, established under Activity 4 of the project, in the period 10-13 April 2023. The programme of the study visit is developed with the assistance and support of Judge Yonko Grozev from the European Court of Human Rights.
Trainings with international expertsfor the enhancement of the skills and competences in implementing fundamental rights
Under the NIJ project “Modern learning environment for judges, prosecutors, investigating magistrates and other legal professionals”, funded under the Justice Programme of the Norwegian Financial Mechanism2014-2021, a series of trainings with international experts will be organized in June 2023, to enhance the skills and competences of the professional community in the implementation of fundamental rights:
With the assistance of the Norwegian Courts Administration, judge Torolv Groseth will conduct a practical workshop for Bulgarian magistrates on the reasoning on judicial acts, in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights in the context of Article 10 of the ECHR (freedom of expression).
The Bulgarian Judge at the European Court of Human Rights, Yonko Grozev, together with two other judges from the ECtHR, will provide training on the application of the European Convention on Human Rights. Bulgarian magistrates, members of the Human Rights Forum, will also take part in the training programme.
The international expert on judicial ethics and author of the manual for judicial trainers, “Judicial Conduct and Ethics”, Jeremy Cooper will conduct a practical training on the manual, which is due to be translated into Bulgarian under the project “Modern learning environment for judges, procsecutors, investigating magistrates and other legal professionals”.
Shared learning spaces for the judiciary
In 2022, 13 shared learning spaces were established and equipped for the judiciary, under the NIJ project “Modern learning environment for judges, prosecutors, investigating magistrates and other legal professionals“, funded under the Justice Programme of the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014-2021.
The shared learning spaces are an innovative tool for delivering learning in working environment that contributes to the development of professional skills and competences in the judiciary.
In 2023, we plan to organize training sessions in the shared spaces that will be fully funded from the budget of the project “Modern learning environment for judges, prosecutors, investigating magistrates and other legal professionals“.