Conference on the reform of banking law in Tunis Tunesia
In November 2024, a reform of banking law came into force in Tunisia that decriminalises and provides for alternative sanctions in the event of the use of uncovered bank cheques, which account for around 30% of payment transactions. As a result, the IRZ organised an event-driven conference in mid-December 2024 in cooperation with the Tunisian Bar Association, the Chamber of Notaries and the Faculty of Law at the University of Tunis.
Around 40 different justice stakeholders from the judiciary, bailiffs, notaries and representatives of the central bank, who are entrusted with the implementation of this law, took part in the event. From the German side, lawyer Guido Kutscher, a specialist in banking and capital market law, explained the basics and legal relationships as well as liability regulations of cheque law in Germany. During the two-day event, the practical application of the law was discussed intensively and, at times, controversially among the various professional groups. Due to the great economic and social significance of this legal change, the event and its practice-oriented programme helped to promote understanding among the various professional groups in the implementation of the law.
Kick-off conference of the project "Improving access to justice and protecting vulnerable groups" (from left to right): Ms Julia von Seltmann, Managing Director of the German Federal Chamber of Notaries, Ms Salma Mnif, Deputy Director of the Research Centre for Dispute Resolution and Enforcement Methods at the Faculty of Law and Political Science at the University of Tunis El Manar (Releve), Ms Najla Trikki, Managing Director and Deputy President of the Tunisian Bar Association, Mr Mohamed Abidi, Head of Section Africa, IRZ. Tunisia
The kick-off conference of IRZ project funded by the German Embassy in Tunisia on the topic of "Improving access to justice and protecting vulnerable groups" took place in Tunis on 10 and 11 June 2024.
Over 60 participants from various institutions, including lecturers, lawyers, judges and representatives of civil society organisations, shared their experiences on the topic in Germany and Tunisia. The event also focussed on the general situation of vulnerable groups in Tunisia and the question of how their legal protection can be achieved efficiently.
The project is being realised by IRZ in cooperation with the National Bar Association of Tunisia, the German Federal Bar Association, the College of Lawyers, the Research Centre for Dispute Resolution and Enforcement Methods at the Faculty of Law and Political Science at the University of Tunis El Manar (Releve) and civil society in Tunisia. It consists of three components and focuses on the following main topics:
protection of vulnerable groups by strengthening access to justice
promoting legal aid to protect vulnerable groups during proceedings
support after the end of the proceedings in granting the rights and entitlements of vulnerable groups and in enforcing the judgement
Further activities of this project will take place in the following weeks and months.
EU criminal law experts Pascal Décarpes in conversation with participants in the training session on alternative punishments and alternatives to pre-trial detention. Tunisia
Discussions on “Criminal law policy” was the focus of a further training course, which was organised by the IRZ on 29-30 May 2023 on “Alternative punishments and alternatives to pre-trial detention” as part of a project funded by the Federal Foreign Office to modernise the judiciary in Tunisia. The aim of the event was to promote the exchange of Tunisian, German and European experiences, models and perspectives in the area of preventive crime policy.
Mr. Ulrich Bremer, Senior Public Prosecutor and press spokesman for the Cologne Public Prosecutor's Office, and Mr. Pascal Décarpes, EU criminal law expert in preventive criminal policy, took part as experts. While Mr. Bremer primarily shared his knowledge of the German criminal system and the system of penalties to the participants, Mr. Décarpes contributed to the success of the event with his lectures on crime prevention.
The following topics were explored at the seminar, and provoked some lively discussions:
Preventative crime policy
Suspension of prison sentences
Organisation of probation services in Germany and Europe
Crime policy and the system of penalties in Germany and Tunisia
Pre-trial detention and possible alternatives
Alternatives to prison sentences and deferred sentences
Potential and risks associated with electronic ankle bracelets
The massive prison overcrowding has resulted in a great need in Tunisia to find possible alternatives to traditional prison sentences and for crime prevention. The event directly addresses this need by aiming to raise awareness of alternative punishments and the importance of preventive crime policies. The focus is on the necessary knowledge transfer for the effective implementation of alternative punishments.
