New court partnership kicks off with intensive working week in Cologne

Delegation from the Court of Appeal of the Center of the Republic of Moldova visiting the Administrative Court of Cologne.
Delegation from the Court of Appeal of the Center of the Republic of Moldova visiting the Administrative Court of Cologne.

Moldau

The partnership between the Administrative Court of Cologne and the Court of Appeal Center (Curtea de Apel Centru) in Chişinău, which was established in September, has already gotten off to a practical start. At the beginning of December, a delegation from the Moldovan court traveled to Cologne for five days to deepen the professional exchange on administrative law.

Insight into court practice

The group comprised 15 employees of the Court of Appeal, including assistant judges and two newly appointed judges. The study trip focused on a comprehensive training program on the application of the Moldovan Administrative Code. This code is essentially based on German administrative procedural and administrative process law regulations. The exchange with judges from the Cologne Administrative Court therefore provided valuable practical insights.

The training program was supplemented by a wide range of insights into the work of the Cologne Administrative Court. The guests had the opportunity to observe court hearings, learn about German judicial service law, and visit the historic building at the Appellhof, where the Cologne Administrative Court is located.

At the end of the trip, nearly 30 members of both courts came together for an evening meeting. This collegial exchange provided ample opportunity to share experiences from everyday work, explore questions in greater depth, and strengthen the basis for further cooperation.

Looking ahead

The visit marks the beginning of a long-term partnership, which will be deepened in the future through further specialist events, work shadowing, and joint projects. The new court partnership is also part of IRZ's long-term commitment to supporting the Republic of Moldova in the introduction and practical application of its Administrative Code.


Strong partners of the IRZ: the judiciary of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Republic of Moldova

From left to right: Alexandra Albrecht, General Director of IRZ, Veronica Mihailov-Moraru, Minister of Justice of the Republic of Moldova, Dr. Benjamin Limbach, Minister of Justice NRW
From left to right: Alexandra Albrecht, General Director of IRZ, Veronica Mihailov-Moraru, Minister of Justice of the Republic of Moldova, Dr. Benjamin Limbach, Minister of Justice NRW

Moldova

The judiciary in North Rhine-Westphalia has traditionally been a close and reliable partner for us in implementing numerous consultations in our partner countries. In the Republic of Moldova, this is particularly true in the area of administrative justice, where experts from North Rhine-Westphalia have been facilitating active exchange for many years.

This was reason enough for a joint delegation trip by IRZ and the NRW Ministry of Justice to the Republic of Moldova at the beginning of September, led by the North Rhine-Westphalian Minister of Justice, Dr Benjamin Limbach, and IRZ's General Director, Alexandra Albrecht. The trip focused on topics such as the status of judicial reforms and the development of the rule of law. In joint discussions with Moldovan Minister of Justice Veronica Mihailov-Moraru and members of the Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee, representatives of the National Institute of Justice, the Supreme Court and the Supreme Judicial Council, experiences were exchanged, specific needs were identified and new ideas for cooperation were developed.

In addition, close cooperation in administrative justice was further strengthened by the agreement of a court partnership between the Moldovan Court of Appeal Centre in Chişinău and the Administrative Court of Cologne. The President of the Administrative Court of Cologne, Birgit Herkelmann-Mrowka, and the Interim President of the Court of Appeal in Chişinău, Ghenadie Mîra, thus reaffirm the exchange between North Rhine-Westphalia and the Republic of Moldova, which has been in place for some time. The court partnership is designed for long-term exchange and serves to promote the practical implementation of the Republic of Moldova's new Administrative Code, the drafting and implementation of which the IRZ has supported significantly from the outset.

Minister Dr Benjamin Limbach said: "With the new court partnership, we are supporting Moldova in establishing a transparent and fair judicial system based on the rule of law. Court partnerships are an effective tool for strengthening and consolidating the rule of law because they enable direct exchange at a technical and institutional level. They help to address and resolve very practical issues that arise in everyday court life through personal contact. This creates a cooperation that promotes the EU accession process and embodies the European idea."

You can find further press releases here from the NRW Ministry of Justice https://www.justiz.nrw.de/presse/2025-09-01-2, https://www.justiz.nrw.de/presse/2025-09-03, and from the Moldovan Ministry of Justice.


Start the summer with administrative law

Participants and experts at this year's summer school for students
Participants and experts at this year's summer school for students

Moldau

Following extensive consultations by IRZ on its introduction, we are now supporting the implementation of the new Administrative Code of the Republic of Moldova. In addition to training courses for the judiciary, our approach is to involve young lawyers.

Our summer school for students on administrative law and EU law at the beginning of July offered five days filled with specialist lectures, practical exercises, presentations by German and Moldovan experts, and roundtable discussions with high-ranking Moldovan guests. This comprehensive package awaited twenty students from the State University of Moldova (USM) and two other universities at the beginning of their semester break.

Moldovan administrative law in its current form is strongly based on German administrative law. Germany has a long tradition of the rule of law in the field of administrative law and provides a proven model that is a valuable point of reference for the Republic of Moldova. With the introduction of the new Administrative Code, the Republic of Moldova has reached an important milestone in this regard.

The strong influence of German law on Moldovan administrative law, but also on civil law, and Germany's ongoing support for legal development in the Republic of Moldova through IRZ were also highlighted by Sergiu Băieşu, Dean of the Faculty of Law at the USM, in his welcoming address.

A report by a student and interviews with the German experts in Romanian and English can be found here.