Evaluation meeting and exchange of best practices between legal professionals from the Eastern Partnership and the Western Balkans

Between November 20-21, 2024, representatives of the National Institute of Justice participated in the Evaluation Meeting and exchange of best practices between legal professionals from the Eastern Partnership and the Western Balkans. The event took place in Tirana, Albania, as part of the joint program of the European Union and the Council of Europe "Partnership for Good Governance" under the regional project "Access to justice for women - putting into practice CoE standards on gender equality and violence against women".

The meeting provided a conducive platform for the exchange of experiences and initiatives in the making The Council of Europe's mentoring program for legal professionals. The delegation of the National Institute of Justice shared the results obtained by the three generations of mentors (2019, 2022, 2023). Thus, two HELP e-courses were adapted to the domestic legal order and institutionalized: "Women's access to justice" and "Violence against women and domestic violence", public lessons and information and awareness campaigns were organized to promote the principle of equality, including through the lens of the Istanbul Convention. At the same time, the beneficiaries of the National Institute of Justice had the opportunity to follow The mentoring program according to a guide designed to enhance the continuous learning of practitioners in the justice sector, especially judges and prosecutors.

The meeting also discussed the opportunities and risks for gender equality in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the judicial system, AI tools to support the mentoring process for legal professionals, as well as the establishment of a cooperation network between magistracy schools.

Also, the delegation of the National Institute of Justice had the opportunity to visit the School of Magistrates in Tirana and familiarize themselves with the processes of initial and continuous training of Albanian judges and prosecutors.