The Completion Ceremony of the Project Report on the "Creation of an Independent Courts Service and Reorganization of the Court Registry" took place on Wednesday, January 18, 2023, in the framework of the Courts Reform. The project is co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, which managed the project.
The event was moderated by Mr. Tigran Karapetyan, Head of the Department of Horizontal Challenges and Multilateral Programmes, Directorate-General for Human Rights and the Rule of Law at the Council of Europe. Opening speeches were delivered on behalf of the Supreme Court by Mr. Daniele Dotto, Deputy Director of Directorate B - Head of the Governance and Public Administration Unit, DG Reforms and on behalf of the Council of Europe by Mr. Frederick Dolt, Head of the Department for the Implementation of the Standards on Human Rights, Justice and Legal Cooperation: "Within this reform charter, the effort to modernize the management of the Courts with the establishment of an Independent Service is also included. The aim is to relieve the Supreme Court of administrative tasks and focus on the judicial sector. At the same time, this effort was broadened to reorganise the Court of First Instance in order to better serve the administration of justice. It is obvious that such an effort is obviously based on a different philosophy, which is likely to be in total conflict with anachronistic existing internal structures. This is because, the new approach involves, in essence, a radical redesign of existing structures and administrative procedures."
Ms. Stefi Drakou said, as a Government, we firmly believe that the establishment of a Judicial Service will effectively address the challenges of administration and will serve the best for the proper functioning of the courts. The implementation of the Project together with the other Projects will significantly improve efficiency in the administration of justice.
The Minister went on to mention some of the benefits that will accrue from the implementation of professional management in the administration of the courts, including:
- More time for judges to focus on their judicial duties.
- More and better administrative support for judges.
- Improved budgeting, planning, risk management, strategic planning and better management of resources.
- More effective planning in the management and development of staff.
- More effective management of the reform and modernisation process of the courts.
Mr Daniele Dotto, on behalf of the EU, praised the degree of implementation of reform projects in Cyprus, which is considered one of the best in Europe.
He then said: "When judicial systems guarantee the proper enforcement of rights and contracts, creditors are more likely to lend, businesses have more confidence and are discouraged from adopting opportunistic behaviour, transaction costs are reduced and investment can be more easily directed to innovative sectors.
In fact, an effective justice system is vital for economic growth. It can improve the business climate, promote innovation, directly attract foreign investment, secure tax revenues and support the local economy."
And Mr Frederick Dolt, on behalf of the CoE, praised the excellent cooperation between the European Commission - DG Reform, the Council of Europe and the Supreme Court in completing the project. At the same time, he pointed out that the achievement of its objectives depends to a large extent on the adoption and implementation of the recommendations of the Report by the Cypriot authorities and stressed that the implementation stage of the project is also very crucial.
Project presentation and results.
Ms Elena Yurkina on behalf of the Council of Europe presented the deliverables of the project, referred to its main results and presented a roadmap and the relevant timetables for the implementation of the project.
Ms Elena Yurkina on behalf of the Council of Europe presented the deliverables of the project, made a reference to its main results and presented a roadmap and the relevant timetables for the implementation of the project. She also explained the study carried out for the modernization of the administration of the Courts and the reorganization of the Court of First Instance.
Ms. Adamantia Manda on behalf of the European Commission spoke about the importance of the creation of the new Judicial Service, which will be responsible for the management and administration of the Courts in Cyprus.
Mr. George Erotokritou, Director of Reform stressed: "Without continuous reform and the changes required to continuously modernise the judicial system, it will only be a matter of time before the system remains stagnant and becomes inefficient again."
Erotokritou referred to the need for a change of culture, considering that such a change is absolutely necessary and may prove to be one of the most difficult obstacles to overcome in the future for reform changes to be successful.
The ceremony was held in the Lecture Hall of the Supreme Court and was attended by: Judges of the Supreme Court, Members of the Legal Committee of the Parliament, Members of the Reform Committee, Presidents of District Courts and Special Jurisdiction Courts, Members of the Cyprus Judges Association, Members of the Pancyprian Bar Association, Administrative Registrars, Legal Officers of the Supreme Court and other Officers from the Courts and Services related to the Project.
(MX/EXP)
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