Participants in the conference to optimise the length of trials and proceedings and increase the efficiency of the judiciary, held on 26 October 2022 in Tunis Tunisia
IRZ organised a conference on 26 October 2022 in Tunis on the topic: “Efficiency of the judiciary: optimizing the length of trials and proceedings” in collaboration with the Tunisian Ministry of Justice and the research centre “Centre d'etudes juridiques et judiciaires” (CEJJ).
The event was opened by the German ambassador, Mr. Peter Prügel, the director of the CEJJ, Mr. Mounir Ferchichi, the head of cabinet at the Tunisian Ministry of Justice, Mr. Kamel Eddine Ben Hsan, and the head of the Africa section at IRZ, Mr. Mohamed Montasser Abidi. Mr. Christian Schmitz-Justen, Vice President of the Cologne Higher Regional Court, contributed the German expertise and experience.
The first part of the conference focused on the theoretical framework of the length of trials and its importance of such for the efficiency of the judiciary and the associated challenges. Participants also discussed various instruments and mechanisms that can be used to optimise the length of the trial. The second part of the conference allowed the 70 participants to exchange ideas and extend their knowledge in five workshops on the following five areas of law:
Optimisation of the duration of litigation in civil law
Optimisation of the duration of trials in criminal law
Optimisation of the duration of trials in commercial and tax law
Optimisation of the duration of trials in social law
Optimisation of trials in real estate law
The topic of the “optimisation of the duration of trials” is one of the most important focal points of the work of the Tunisian Ministry of Justice, which aims to increase the efficiency of the judiciary. IRZ is therefore planning further in-depth events on this topic in 2023.
The conference took place within the framework of the joint work program for 2022 concluded between the Federal Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Tunisia.
Participants of the seminar for the elaboration of a new course of studies in legistics on November 28-29, 2022 in Tunisia. Tunisia
IRZ and the law faculty of El Manar University in Tunis, organised a seminar to develop a new course in legislation on 28-29 November 2022. The event was the launch event for a large-scale project to modernise the judiciary sector in Tunisia, funded by the Federal Foreign Office as part of the Ta'ziz partnership.
The IRZ expert was Prof Dr Hans Hofmann, who teaches a module on legislation theory at the Humboldt University in Berlin and also has many years of experience in the field of legislation through his work in the German Federal Ministry of the Interior and in the Federal Chancellery. Mr. Khaireddine Ben Soltan, the former head of the Tunisian government's legislative department represented Tunisia.
Approx. 30 lecturers from the law faculty of the University of El Manar attended the seminar, who will also design the new course and ultimately also teach the course. The advisory seminar was the first of four planned seminars and advisory sessions aimed at the full development, design and preparation of a degree course in legislation.
The following topics were explored at the seminar, and provoked some lively discussions:
Need to introduce a course of study in legislation
Law-making and legislation in Tunisia
Legislative procedures, methodical approach and legal impact assessment in Germany and Tunisia
Tools to implement to create good and transparent laws
Legal and linguistic review of draft legislation
Regulatory control and the role of the Regulatory Control Council in Germany
Role of the legislative department of the Tunisian government and the final control of legal texts
The young experts trained through the new course are urgently needed in both the Tunisian administration and the government to be able to guarantee good and effective legislation.
Participants in the seminar on “Court communication and administration” in Tunis Tunisia
IRZ held a seminar on the topic of “Court communication and administration” in Tunis on 14 July 2022 in cooperation with the Tunisian Ministry of Justice. By organising this seminar, IRZ addressed the Tunisian judiciary’s current reform strategy, which, among other things, places a high priority on modernising the judiciary and its administrative structures and hence on improving efficiency in this area. The event is part of the Memorandum of Understanding on a Cooperation Work Programme 2022 between the Federal Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Tunisia.
The German side was represented Mr Christian Schmitz-Justen, Vice President of the Cologne Higher Regional Court (OLG), while Mr Hassen Miaadi, Communications Director and official spokesperson of the Tunisian railway company, was involved on the Tunisian side. Around 30 employees from the administration of various courts from the Tunis region joined with two experts to share their views on aspects of internal and external court communication.
The purpose of internal court communication is to ensure smooth administration and to maintain communication channels between judges and non-judicial staff. From an external perspective, courts must guarantee that their communication with other administrative authorities and judicial actors functions properly. The latter plays an import role in expediting court proceedings and workflows. Correct determination of the necessary staffing levels is another crucial aspect to make sure that the courts operate efficiently.
While the Tunisian expert spoke on basic principles of communication science, the German expert fleshed out the theoretical part with numerous practical examples from the Cologne Higher Regional Court. Participants learned more about specific measures that are used to improve communication within the judiciary and received illustrative insight into the German experience from the viewpoint of the Cologne Higher Regional Court.
Overall, the one-day seminar was characterised by intense discussions and a lively communication. Participants were eager to share, which emphasised their considerable interest in an exchange of experience between German and Tunisian colleagues. Another event on this topic has been pencilled in for autumn 2022, involving other courts from a different region of Tunisia.
