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."
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.
Trilateral roundtable discussion in Bucharest with public prosecutors from the Republic of Moldova, Romania and Germany on the topic of hate crime and hate speech in the digital space
Moldova / Romania
On 14 and 15 November 2020, the IRZ, the National Institute of Justice of the Republic of Moldova, the National Institute of Magistrates of Romania and the Ministries of Justice of both countries held the above round table in Bucharest, Romania.
Participants from Romania, the Republic of Moldova and Germany emphasized the urgency of the topic in view of the increasing spread of hate speech on the internet. They highlighted how growing political polarization and the role of disinformation and hate speech in the political context are weighing on the social climate and stressed the need for increased cooperation, but also for innovative solutions in dealing with hate crimes and hate speech.
Around 45 public prosecutors and police officers from the three countries took the opportunity to exchange experiences and discuss current challenges, as well as to share innovative solutions for the prevention and prosecution of hate crimes and hate speech in the digital space.
The discussions focused on the legal, practical and societal challenges of combating and prosecuting cyber hate crimes and hate speech, and techniques for investigating and preserving evidence of online hate crimes. In addition, difficulties related to international mutual legal assistance and cross-border cooperation, cooperation with internet service providers and European legislation were discussed.
Another key item on the agenda was victim protection and the role of civil society, with reports on experiences of anti-Semitic hate speech, discrimination and hate speech against Roma, and the specific problems of the LGBTQ community in the digital space.
Another trilateral roundtable will take place in December 2024 in Chișinău, Republic of Moldova.
