The process of reforming the justice sector is very slow. Only 44 of the 101 actions that were overdue in 2012, or 43%, were carried out in the first quarter of this. The figures were presented in a news conference at IPN held to present the second quarterly monitoring report on the implementation of the reform strategy.

“The situation is more serious as regards the actions that were to be taken in the second quarter of this year. Only six or 19% of the 31 actions were carried out,” said the director of the Association for Efficient and Responsible Government Olesea Stamate.

The Supreme Council of Magistrates, the Prosecutor General’s Office and the National Council for State Guaranteed Legal Aid managed to implement less than half of the planned actions – about 40%. The figure at the Ministry of Justice, the National Anticorruption Center and the National Justice Institute stands at 60%.

According to program director of Promo-LEX Association Pavel Postica, a positive dynamic was seen as regards the quality of hearings in courts of law. Only 77 of the total monitored hearings in the first quarter were held in courtrooms, but in the second quarter the figure rose almost three times. The number of hearings recorded by audio equipment increased by about 12%.

The main recommendations made by experts refer to the necessity of strengthening the activity of the working groups, supplementing the regulations concerning the activity of working group with provisions obliging publishing meetings’ proceedings, the agenda and other things, including the correspondence, on the website of the Ministry of Justice. Another recommendation is to make changes to the plan of action so as to update and specify the terms for implementing the actions.

The report was produced within the project “Increasing Government Accountability by Monitoring the Justice Sector Reform” that is implemented by Promo-LEX Association and the Association for Efficient and Responsible Government, with financial support from the European Union.

Source: Ipn.md

The people will be able to monitor the activity of public institutions on the portal www.monitor.mdthat was launched by Promo-LEX and the Association for Efficient and Responsible Government (AGER). The portal will contain monitoring activities and products of Moldovan civil society organizations, which will focus on the work of the public institutions and the implementation of public policies in Moldova, IPN reports.

The main monitored areas are: the justice sector reform; human rights; electoral processes; good governance, and the work of the police. The portal will identify and borrow monitoring reports and assessment studies made by civil society organizations.

The main goal of the portal is to provide the general public with information and materials about the monitoring activities carried out in Moldova and to contribute to increasing their visibility. Monitor.md also aims to popularize monitoring among civil society organizations and the ordinary people.

The portal will present different monitoring models and ideas implemented abroad, which can be put into practice in Moldova. Monitor.md will also include interactive monitoring instruments that can be adjusted to the needs of civil society and the realities in Moldova. Thus, the portal will offer the people the possibility of reporting online violations and abuses in a number of areas.

The portal was designed within the Increasing Government Accountability by Monitoring the Justice Sector Reform Project that is financed by the European Union.

Source: Ipn.md

Representatives of civil society of Moldova made a call to the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton concerning the situation in the Transnistrian region. The signatories ask including the situation in the Security Zone in the agenda of the meeting in the 5+2 format that will take place in Vienna this month. They also call upon the mediators to use the available legal means to stabilize the situation, IPN reports.

The civil society representatives said that the Russia Federation should be requested not to continue strengthen its military contingent within the Joint Peacekeeping Forces and to pull out its troops and munitions from the Transnistrian region in stages. They also ask encouraging the union of the Moldovan political class and society in the efforts to remedy the situation in Transnistria.

The signatories demand extending the mandate of the EUBAM so as to provide assistance in setting up and ensuring the functioning of the six checkpoints along the Nistru and enlarging the group of civil observers for monitoring the situation in Tighina and other settlements. They also ask encouraging civil society to take part in the Transnistrian conflict settlement talks.

Among the signatories are the Foreign Policy Association, IDIS Viitorul, Promo-LEX Association, “Integritate” Association (Grigoriopol), the Resource Center for Human Rights (CReDO), the Independent Analytical Center “Expert-Grup”, East Europe Foundation, the Association of Independent Press, the National Youth Council of Moldova, Transparency-International Moldova, the Institute for Human Rights (IDOM), the Public Policy Institute, and others.

Source: ipn.md