High-level delegation from Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia invited to Lower Saxony for an exchange of experience

The delegation visits the Lower Saxony Ministry of Justice; front centre: Justice Minister Dr. Kathrin Wahlmann, behind her to the right: State Secretary Dr. Thomas Smollich.
The delegation visits the Lower Saxony Ministry of Justice; front centre: Justice Minister Dr. Kathrin Wahlmann, behind her to the right: State Secretary Dr. Thomas Smollich.
Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia

In late August 2023, the IRZ invited three delegations from Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia to Lower Saxony to exchange experiences on issues of ensuring the independence of the judiciary. This event was prepared together with the Lower Saxony Ministry of Justice.

Justice Minister Dr. Kathrin Wahlmann welcomed the delegations. The expert talks were led by the State Secretary in the Lower Saxony Ministry of Justice, Dr. Thomas Smollich, and the Director of the IRZ, Dr. Stefan Hülshörster.

The President of the Lower Saxony State Court and President of the State Labour Court, the Chairman of the Chief Judges' Council, the Presidents of the Social Court and the Hanover District Court and the President of the Braunschweig Higher Regional Court were also involved in the talks, along with other employees from the Ministry of Justice.

From Ukraine, the Deputy Minister of Justice, Banchuk was joined by representatives from the Supreme Court, the High Judicial Qualification Commission and the High Council of Justice; on the Moldovan side, in addition to the Deputy Chair of the Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee, the interim President of the Supreme Judicial Council and the President of the Supreme Council of the Public Prosecutor's Office took part and a representative of the Ministry of Justice and, from Georgia, a judge of the Supreme Court was joined by the President of the Georgian Bar Association and the Director of the National School of Judges.

The composition of the delegation ensured an intensive exchange of ideas and experiences, during which the guests also presented the current status of their reforms, particularly regarding their efforts to prepare for accession to the EU.

The visit was rounded off by expert talks with the co-Chair of the German Association of Judges and with the Parliamentary State Secretary, Benjamin Strasser, MP in the Federal Ministry of Justice in Berlin.

Study trip on combating corruption and money laundering

The delegation at an expert talk with members of the Committee on Legal Affairs at the German Bundestag.
The delegation at an expert talk with members of the Committee on Legal Affairs at the German Bundestag.
Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova

The IRZ conducted a study trip in North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin on the subject of combating corruption and money laundering for a delegation from the Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia. The Committee on Legal Affairs of the German Bundestag also received the guests as part of the diverse programme.

In 2022, the European Union granted Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova EU candidate status and Georgia was also offered the prospect of EU accession. The German Bundestag therefore provided the IRZ with additional funds to conduct cooperation with these three partner countries As the recommendations of the EU Commission for the necessary legal reforms in all three states emphasised in particular the fight against corruption and organised crime, the IRZ implemented a study trip with the relevant specialist focus in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The participants were representatives from various governmental and non-governmental institutions from Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia that are responsible for preventing and prosecuting cases of corruption.

The State Justice Minister Dr. Benjamin Limbach, received the delegation In North Rhine-Westphalia, This was followed by appointments at the State Office of Criminal Investigations and the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Düsseldorf. The guests also visited the main departments of the Public Prosecutor's Offices in Wuppertal and Bochum, and engaged in expert talks to explore in-depth issues around the confiscation of assets and organised crime. At a meeting with the European Public Prosecutor's Office, they also discussed the subject of “Investigations into cases of fraud and tax evasion affecting the European budget of the European Union”.

The delegation then travelled to Berlin, where it was received by the Committee on Legal Affairs of the German Bundestag. Dr. Günter Krings, MdB, chaired the discussion, in which the participants explained the progress made to date and the major challenges in the fight against corruption in Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia. The study trip was rounded off with expert talks at the Federal Ministry of Justice and the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Homeland. The focus here was on “Measures to prevent corruption in the federal administration”.

A similar study trip on the theme of “Independence of the judiciary” to Lower Saxony and Berlin is planned for August 2023 with participants from Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia to further promote exchanges between the three partner states as part of the EU accession process.

Federal Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Justice of Georgia sign a work programme

 Signing of work programme with the Georgian Minister of Justice, Source: BMJ
Signing of work programme with the Georgian Minister of Justice, Source: BMJ
Georgia

On 6 September 2022, the Federal Minister of Justice, Dr Marco Buschmann, and his Georgian counterpart, Dr Rati Bregadze, signed a work programme on joint cooperation in the years 2022 to 2025 at the Federal Ministry of Justice (BMJ). The programme builds on the Memorandum of Understanding concluded on 27 April 2005 between BMJ and the Ministry of Justice of Georgia. Several high-ranking representatives from both ministries attended the signing ceremony. Frank Hupfeld, Head of Section for Georgia, took part in the event on behalf of IRZ.

Priority topics of the work programme

The new work programme aims on the one hand to strengthen international bilateral cooperation in matters of civil and criminal law as well as cooperation in the field of penitentiary law and probation. In this area in particular, there are plans to introduce numerous measures to structure and control a modern penitentiary system and probation service as well as to implement the resocialisation and rehabilitation programmes. Close cooperation was also agreed in the area of juvenile criminal law and juvenile penitentiary law.

Work programme steps up IRZ cooperation with Georgia

IRZ has been active in Georgia on behalf of the BMJ since 2006 and has been involved in the implementation of numerous measures over the years. Agreement of this new work programme will strengthen and deepen IRZ cooperation with the Georgian Ministry of Justice.

BMJ press release

For further information, refer to: 

Continuation of German-Georgian cooperation in the field of the judiciary – Federal Minister of Justice and his Georgian counterpart sign new work programme

BMJ press release of 7 September 2022

https://www.bmj.de/SharedDocs/Pressemitteilungen/DE/2022/0906_Unterzeichnung_Arbeitsprogramm_Georgien.html