110 Years of the Supreme Court - The IRZ is a guest at the anniversary celebration in Albania
- Details
- Published: August 8, 2023
An international conference was held in Tirana on 10 May 2023 on “The jurisprudence of the Supreme Court: from national identity to universal values” to mark the 110th anniversary of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Albania. The IRZ and a judge at the Federal Court of Justice, Ms. Babette Pohl, were guests of honour at the anniversary celebration.
The conference focused on Albanian judicial reform, the EU integration process and the role of Supreme Courts in bringing national judicial practices in line with international standards.
The conference participants included judges from the Supreme Courts and Constitutional Courts of Albania, Italy, France, Azerbaijan, Turkey, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Germany, the European Court of Human Rights and the United States Tax Court.
In the opening speeches, the Vice-President of the Supreme Court of Albania, Mr. Sokol Sadushi and the President of the Constitutional Court of Albania, Ms. Holta Zaçaj, emphasised the importance of an independent judiciary as the foundation of the rule of law and as a basis to gain the trust of the people in the judiciary. President Bajram Begaj stated that the Supreme Court of Albania makes an indispensable contribution to aligning Albanian jurisprudence with the principles of European justice and ensuring the protection of human rights. Ms. Naureda Llagami, President of the High Judicial Council of Albania, again underlined the need for judicial reform in Albania, and also the ongoing challenges in this respect.
From the international side, Ms. Christiane Hohmann, Ambassador of the European Union in Albania, underlined the importance of a qualitative and independent judiciary as one of the most important pillars of EU integration. She emphasised that councils of judges and Public Prosectors should uphold the high standards of scrutiny to ensure the independence, accountability and efficient functioning of the judiciary. Ms. Yuri Kim, Ambassador of the United States of America to Albania, also reiterated that a strict separation of powers was essential.
During the conference, approx. 15 panellists discussed specific issues in front of over 150 participants regarding:
- the role of Supreme Court case law in shaping national legal culture (Panel I)
- the consideration of international standards in the case law of Supreme Courts (Panel II)
- the road to EU integration: historical perspectives and current challenges in shaping the role of Supreme Courts (Panels III and IV)
The conference gave participants a valuable opportunity to share experiences and to discuss common challenges. The talks focused at all times on the importance of an independent, transparent and professional judiciary as the foundation of the rule of law and the EU integration process. In particular, the essential role of the Supreme Court of Albania was highlighted in the implementation of judicial reform.
The IRZ invited Ms. Babette Pohl, LL.M., judge at the Federal Supreme Court, to present a lecture on the relationship between the European courts and the Court of Justice of the European Union In her presentation, Ms. Pohl emphasised the preliminary ruling procedure under Article 267 TFEU to ensure the standardised application of Union law and emphasised the resilience of the European judicial system, despite recent disputes between national Constitutional Courts and the Court of Justice of the European Union. The lecture ended with the appeal that European case law is an essential instrument for the protection of fundamental rights, the protection of minorities and the preservation of the rule of law in Europe.
Ms. Pohl was accompanied by Ms. Dr. Frauke Bachler, General Director of the IRZ, and Ms. Anja Finke, Deputy Head of the South East Europe II / South Caucasus project area. The celebrations also included numerous talks with representatives of partner organisations of the IRZ from Albania and the region.
