IRZ supports the Supreme Court in the establishment of a documentation centre
- Details
- Published: February 18, 2022
In 2021, the IRZ helped the Supreme Court of the Republic of Albania to set up a documentation centre as part of the project funding for "court organisation" by the Federal Foreign Office.
The documentation centre at the Supreme Court will help judges of all instances to carry out their judicial tasks, and will make court judgements publicly accessible by documenting court judgements for internal and external use and designing a corresponding case law and documentation system. This is intended to create a more modern, efficient and transparent organisation of the court, and to improve public trust in the judiciary overall.
Against this backdrop, the IRZ organised a study trip for Dr. Arta Vorpsi, Cabinet Director at the Supreme Court, to the Federal Supreme Court (BGH) and the Administrative Court of Baden-Württemberg (VHG BW) from 13-16 December 2021. During her stay in Germany, Dr. Vorpsi gained some practical insights into the structures, working practices and methods of the documentation centres of the BGH and the Federal Constitutional Court (BVerfG). During the visit, the head of the documentation centre at the BGH, Mr. Rainer Schliebs, and Mr. Hans-Joachim Dose, presiding judge at the BGH, and Mr. Florian Schmitt, an employee at the documentation centre of the BVerfG, explained the German practice and experiences in this area. Solutions and suggestions for the Albanian context were also identified. This exchange of expertise and experience in Karlsruhe was rounded off by a visit to the Administrative Court in Mannheim, where Dr. Vorpsi studied the work of the nationwide unique asylum documentation at the VGH BW. Dr. Vorpsi had talks with Professor Jan Bergmann, Presiding judge at the VGH BW, Dr. Kathrin Osteneck, judge at the VGH BW and Dr. Sophie Roche, head of the documentation centre at the VGH BW.
In addition to this study trip, the IRZ organised a kick-off event on 20 December 2021 in Tirana on the theme "Methodology and practical exercises for the formation of legal propositions". The workshop was designed for academic staff and the future team at the documentation centre at the Supreme Court. Under the direction of Mr. Rainer Schliebs, Head of the Documentation Office of the BGH, and Mr. Thomas Traar, judge at the District Court of Bruck an der Mur (Austria), the participants were shown methods and best practices for drafting legal provisions by analysing German, Austrian and Albanian decisions and practical group exercises.
In addition to this exchange of expertise and experience, the IRZ supported the development of the documentation centre of the Supreme Court through extensive donations in kind. It provided standard works on the law of the European Union and the European Convention on Human Rights, and the documentation centre was equipped with new computers, laptops, scanners, a projector and other office supplies.
In 2022, the IRZ will also provide technical support to establish the documentation centre at the Supreme Court in Albania as part of the project funding of the Federal Foreign Office, and will further expand the successful cooperation.
