The Federal Minister of Justice and Consumer Protection, Dr. Stefanie Hubig, visits the IRZ stand on August 22, 2025. Copyright: Photothek/Thomas Trutschel IRZ
Numerous interested citizens exchanged ideas with us last weekend at the Federal Government's open house at the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection: while we reported on our legal policy cooperation with our partner countries, people of all ages took part in our online quiz with questions about our partner countries. Afterwards, we often heard participants say, “That was fun!”
In addition to the high number of visitors, we were impressed by the open and genuine interest in our projects and the regions in which we work. We clearly succeeded in reaching young lawyers and people who were not yet familiar with us and in inspiring them with the importance of legal and judicial reform projects.
That is why we are already looking forward to participating again next year!
Photo of Anette Kramme, new President of the IRZ IRZ
We are delighted that Ms Anette Kramme, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection and Member of the German Bundestag, was elected as the new President at the Board of Trustees’ meeting on 7 July 2025.
The digital and accessible version of the IRZ Annual Report 2024 is now available.
The accessible document contains a wealth of information about our projects to promote the rule of law, support legal and judicial reforms in our partner states, and other advisory projects with our domestic and foreign partner institutions and numerous experts in around 20 partner states.
The focus of our work is naturally on our partner states, which are EU accession candidate countries and are restructuring their legal systems to bring them into line with EU standards. However, democratic reforms and the rule of law are also playing an increasingly important role in our other partner states. In view of the current armed conflicts, these issues are more important than ever and are particularly close to our hearts.
The new Annual Report 2024 presents these and other exciting projects and also reports on the organisational structure, working methods and financing of IRZ. Informative graphics round off the publication.
We hope you enjoy reading it and thank you for your interest in our work and your continued support for our commitment.
IRZ General Director Alexandra Albrecht during her speech at the summer party in Berlin (Copyright Foto: Andreas Burkhardt) IRZ
The rule of law is under pressure, and the IRZ's mission is more relevant than ever:
‘Through personal exchanges and discussions on sensitive topics in a protected environment, the IRZ is able to build trust even in difficult times and support our partner states in establishing structures based on the rule of law,’ emphasised IRZ Chief Executive Alexandra Albrecht during this year's joint summer party hosted by the German Judges Association, the German Notaries Association and the German Women Lawyers Association. The IRZ's successes are evident in the dialogue between equals, the respectful exchange of views and a clear view of the reality on the ground.
Many guests took the opportunity to talk to the Chair of the Verkhovna Rada's Legal Affairs Committee, Mr Denys Maslov, and other members of the Ukrainian Parliament. They were in Germany on a working visit to revise the Ukrainian Constitutional Court Act. Together with members of the Bundestag from the governing and opposition parties, leading representatives of the federal and state governments and high-ranking representatives of the judiciary, they spent a stimulating evening at the House of Justice.
In our annual report, we provide information on our rule of law promotion activities, on the advisory projects carried out to support legal and judicial reforms in our partner countries and on the international projects that we are implementing together with our domestic and foreign partner institutions and numerous experts in around 20 partner countries. Our work naturally focuses in particular on partner countries that are EU accession candidates and are reorganising their legal systems in line with EU standards. However, rule of law and democratic reforms are also playing an increasingly important role in our other partner countries. In view of the current armed conflicts, these issues are more important than ever. The new Annual Report 2023 presents these and similar exciting projects and also reports on the organisational structure, working methods and funding of the IRZ. Informative graphics round off the publication.
You can find the 2023 annual report in German and English here.
The 12th German Diversity Day took place on 28 May 2024, in which IRZ also took part for the first time this year after signing the Diversity Charter in November 2023. The motto of this year's Diversity Day was "Voice for diversity – 365 days a year!"
At their own request, employees in the Bonn and Berlin offices took a close look at issues of everyday racism. The atmosphere was friendly throughout, the discussions were lively and characterised by openness. In conclusion, many of the colleagues realised how valuable and constructive such an exchange is in order to critically question their own attitudes.
IRZ reports in its Annual Report on projects it has implemented in cooperation with the partnering institutions in the partner states. The new Annual Report 2021 is now published.
The German Foundation for International Legal Cooperation (IRZ) has accompanied EU accession candidate countries on the long journey to joining the European Union for 30 years. After all, the demand for support among Ukrainian specialists has been rising steadily, despite the war of aggression that Russia unleashed on Ukraine in contravention of international law. IRZ experts are continuing their cooperation with the partner institutions in Ukraine,
a partner state since day one. So far, IRZ has provided support to around 40 partner states. Past cooperation with Ukraine has focused on the democratisation process, legal and judicial reforms and measures to combat corruption. IRZ is now promoting the rule of law to prepare the country for joining the EU. The legal and judicial system will have to rise to new challenges and achieve further harmonisation with European standards due to Ukraine’s designation as an accession candidate. The German legal system serves as a role model in this regard.
For instance, the President of the IRZ Board of Trustees, Christian Lange (photo), opened a first online consultation of a working group led by the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament on 30 June 2022, with the aim of continuing the reforms of the Civil Code of Ukraine (CC). This work builds on two policy papers prepared by an IRZ expert team in early 2022.
Receiving significant support from the Federal Fiscal Court, IRZ joined with the Supreme Court of Ukraine on 1 July 2022 to conduct the Fifth Administrative Court Jurisdiction Days as an online event, focusing on tax law issues as a ‘special part of administrative law’.
IRZ has also received requests for further support from the Constitutional Court, the Administrative Cassation Court and from the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, among others.
At the very beginning of independence, the cooperation prioritised consultations on the constitution, the Law on the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, the German-Ukrainian constitutional dialogue and consultations addressing the planned abolition of the death penalty, which the Constitutional Court of Ukraine ultimately declared unconstitutional in its decision of 29 December 1999. Numerous current and former judges at the Federal Constitutional Court are involved in the professional exchange with their colleagues from the Constitutional Court of Ukraine. The introduction of constitutional complaints (complaint against a law) in Ukraine, the organisation of the Ukrainian Constitutional Court based on the structure of the German Federal Constitutional Court and the introduction of an independent administrative court jurisdiction based on the German model were nothing short of ground-breaking.
In addition, IRZ initiated an intensive process of dialogue at administrative court level. Important partners in this cooperation are the Supreme Court of Ukraine, the Federal Administrative Court and the administrative courts of Rhineland-Palatinate under the leadership of the Higher Administrative Court.
An administrative procedure law, for which IRZ provided pivotal support in the legislative process, was passed just a week before the outbreak of war.
Policy to combat corruption is another priority area within the cooperation. A joint conference was held with the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine just a day before the attack by Russian forces.
Promoting the rule of law is a relevant issue for all generations, so nurturing young legal professionals is among the core concerns of IRZ. It addresses this task by organising supplementary studies in German for advanced students at the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv in western Ukraine, among other things. Defying the war, the valedictorian of 2021 spent a research stay at Ludwig Maximilian University Munich during May 2022.
Every step on Ukraine’s independent path to democratic and constitutional reforms is a step towards joining the European Union.
IRZ PRESS RELEASE dated 25 July 2022
Contact:
Deutsche Stiftung für internationale rechtliche Zusammenarbeit e.V. Cecilia Szabó Advisor to the Management OPublic Relations This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Dr Marco Buschmann, Federal Minister of Justice, talking to Dr Frauke Bachler, General Director IRZ (photo: IRZ/DRB) Press Release
The Federal Minister of Justice, Dr Marco Buschmann, was the guest of honour at this year’s summer celebration at Haus des Rechts in Berlin, which is jointly organised every year by the German Association of Judges, German Notaries' Association and German Foundation for International Legal Cooperation (IRZ).
In light of the illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, the Federal Minister used his speech to emphasise how important it is for the IRZ to promote the rule of law. The Foundation was established in 1992 at the behest of the then Federal Minister of Justice, Dr Klaus Kinkel. He explicitly thanked the entire team in Bonn and Berlin. A ceremony is planned at the Federal Ministry of Justice in October 2022 to mark this anniversary.
The General Director, Dr Frauke Bachler, then thanked the Federal Minister of Justice for his kind comments. In addition to the 30th anniversary celebration, there will also be an opening ceremony for a larger office in the immediate vicinity of Haus des Rechts, once this has been occupied as planned in autumn 2022.
The attendees thanked Dr Bachler for her commitment to judiciary reform and promoting the rule of law, as well as legislative advice in Germany and partner states. “Everyone here shares a common understanding of democracy.”
The General Director also expressed her dismay at the illegal war of aggression. Cooperation with the former partner state of Russia has been suspended until further notice. However, the IRZ is receiving an increasing number of requests from Ukraine for joint projects. “The fact that this commitment is possible, is an important glimmer of hope in dark times,” says Frauke Bachler.
High-profile guests from Germany and the IRZ’s partner states braved a sharp shower and welcomed the opportunity to meet one another.
IRZ PRESS RELEASE dated 24 June 2022
Contact:
Deutsche Stiftung für internationale rechtliche Zusammenarbeit e.V. Cecilia Szabó Advisor to the Management ÖPublic Relations This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Dr Marco Buschmann, Federal Minister of Justice, during his speech at the joint summer celebration of the German Association of Judges, German Notaries' Association and the IRZ in Berlin in July 2022 (photo: DRB)
The following work: "Promoting the Rule of Law - Handbook for Research and Practice” was made possible by project funding from the Federal Foreign Office. This publication comprises approximately 500 pages, and was created by roughly 70 authors who are involved in the promotion of the rule of law in politics, in their daily practical work or through their academic activities, who outlined the support of partner states in the legal sphere from different perspectives. The work was published by Prof. Dr Matthias Kötter, Dr Tilman J. Röder, Dr Jens Deppe, Dr Julie Trappe, and Dr Tilman Schneider.
IRZ is represented in the handbook with the article "Promoting the Rule of Law by the BMJV", which was jointly written by Dr Stefan Hülshörster, Managing Director of IRZ and Dr Stefan Pürner, Head of Section at IRZ. The contribution presents the guiding principles and structures for the promotion of the rule of law in the Ministry of Justice and explains the project work which was funded by a grant. The importance of needs orientation, flexibility and staying power are particularly emphasised.
Anne Katharina Zimmermann, Head of the Department of German Foundation for International Legal Cooperation (IRZ) at the Federal Ministry of Justice, also co-authored a contribution to the handbook on rule of law dialogues and other forms of dialogue.
The contribution is part of the ongoing expert monitoring of the activities of IRZ itself. Within this framework, staff members participate in events for the expert monitoring of the legal transformation or contribute scientific articles in this field.
Info
Handbook "Promoting the Rule of Law - Handbook for Research and Practice” as an e-book
