І. General background. Goals
The Program for the Development of the Judicial System is a not-for-profit association performing activities in public benefit. The goals of the Association, pursuant to its Articles of Association, are: to support the development of the judicial system and the strengthening of Rule of Law through the encouragement of judicial reform, improvement of access to justice, increasing the support, trust and confidence of the civil society in the work of the judicial system, popularizing national and international standards and acts in the field of development of the judicial system and protection of human rights.
ІІ. Management bodies
The management bodies of the Association are the General Meeting and the Management Board. The Management Board consists of three members – Velislava Delcheva (Chairperson), Presiana Manolova and Denitsa Yankova. A General Meeting was held on 23 March 2008 at which Presiana Manolova’s withdrawal from the position of Chairperson was accepted. Velislava Delcheva was elected Chairperson. The General Meeting held on 10 July 2008, when the term of office of the Management Board expired, reelected the same members and Velislava Delcheva remains Chairperson of the Association. In accordance with the Articles of Association, the term of office of the newly elected Management Board is 3 years.
ІІІ. Members
In 2008, three new members joined the Association. Thus, it has 10 members. The activities of the Association are supported by a number of colleagues who are not members of the Assocation but whose contribution is essential to the success of the PDJS.
ІV. Projects
The past year can be considered a successful one as the Association worked on 4 projects of which 3 were completed as of the end of the year and one is continuing into 2009.
Creation of an Information Center of the Prosecutor’s Office
Funding organization: United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
Duration: 8 months
Status: closed
The project implemented by the PDJS in partnership with the Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Bulgaria can be deemed a pioneer. The purpose of the project is to increase the public trust and confidence in the Prosecutor’s Office and improve the customer service through the creation of the first Information Center of the Prosecutor’s Office and the elaboration of an overall concept paper about information centers in the prosecutor’s offices.
The Concept Paper on Information Centers in the Prosecutor’s Offices was created by a working group of prosecutors, staff and PDJS representatives and its purpose is to the develop and present a unified model of such centers in the prosecutor’s offices as part of the implementation of one of the priorities of the 2007 – 2009 Strategy for the Development of the Prosecutor’s Office, namely openness and transparency.
The Concept Paper contains specific practical ideas and documents which are useful to the prosecutor’s offices and the staff working on the creation of information centers or expanding the services provided in them. The experience related to the creation of such a document for the courts and good practices from other countries have been used in the elaboration of the Concept Paper. As an appendix to the Concept Paper, a plan for the staggered setting up of such centers in other prosecutor’s offices in the country has been adopted.
The first Information Center of the prosecutor’s office was opened on 9 September 2008 in the presence of the Chief Prosecutor of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Velchev, US Deputy Chief of Mission Mr. Karagiannis, representatives of the United States Agency for International Development and PDJS. The Information Center of the Prosecutor’s Office is located close to the entrance to the Palace of Justice in Sofia. It has 8 work places and covers several prosecutor’s offices housed in the Palace of Justice.
An independent component of the project was the presentation of evidence carts and the system for electronic display of exhibits in court hearings. Presentations were held in the Palaces of Justice in Sofia, Veliko Tarnovo, Plovdiv and Varna.
The system was provided by the Judicial Strengthening Initiative of the United States Agency for International Development in 2007. The equipment makes it possible for exhibits to be presented in a new more convenient and effective manner as they can be seen by all people present in the court room with the help of a projector. The system can be used to present multimedia exhibits (for example, pictures, audio and video recordings) in different formats and on different carriers, to display documents and other three-dimensional pieces of evidence and the powerful digital magnification allows one to focus on details which are otherwise unobservable to the unaided eye.
The demonstrations organized by the PDJS were attended by judges, prosecutors, attorneys and media representatives who had the opportunity to see for themselves the possibilities the evidence carts offer. Impressions and experience were shared about the use of the equipment until that time and new ideas for its use in the future came up in the course of the discussions.
Communication Campaign for Operational Programme Administrative Capacity
Funding organization: European Union through the European Social Fund
Duration: 6 months
Status: closed
The consortium For a Dialogue with the Administration in which the PDJS participates alongside PR and Media, Alpha Research, Institute of Market Economy and Euro Projects Point conducted a series of information days dedicated to the Operational Programme Administrative Capacity (OPAC) co-funded by the European Union through the European Social Fund. The meetings in Sofia, Varna, Burgas, Veliko Tarnovo, Plovdiv and Blagoevgrad were attended by representatives of courts and media and the purpose of the information days was to provide more details about the opportunities for application and implementation of projects under OPAC.
As a result of the campaign, courts submitted 8 projects 5 of which were approved and funded under Operational Programme Administrative Capacity.
Strengthening the Capacity of the Supreme Judicial Council for Working with the Courts in Bulgaria
Funding organization: United States Agency for International Development through the Bulgarian Center for Development and Learning
Duration: 6 months
Status: closed
The PDJS has implemented a project aimed at strengthening the capacity of the Supreme Judicial Council for working with the courts in Bulgaria which was funded by the United States Agency for International Development and carried out jointly with the Bulgarian Center for Development and Training. The purpose of the project is to increase the capacity of the SJC with respect to the work with the courts in Bulgaria in the context of the Model Courts and Courts in Partnership Program. Trainings for the SJC Administration, site visits and other initiative were held in support for the active and beneficial cooperation between the SJC and the judicial bodies in the country.
In addition to the efforts of the PDJS to ensure the involvement of the SJC in the Model Courts and Courts in Partnership Program and the Court Improvement Plan as part of the Program, the US Embassy in Bulgaria together with the United States Agency for International Development hosted a meeting with the SJC and the National Institute of Justice. The meeting was held on 6 June 2008. Immediately after the meeting, the SJC elaborated a plan for the implementation of the Plan in all courts in the country. Several meetings by appellate regions were organized at which the chairpersons and court administrators received detailed information and instructions about the implementation of the Plan.
Strengthening the Court System in Bulgaria through Implementation of the Court Improvement Plan
Funding organization: United States Agency for International Development and German Mashall Fund
Duration: 1 year
Status: ongiong
The Program for the Development of the Judicial System is implementing a one-year project with the support of USAID and German Marshall Fund which is aimed ar continuing the development of the Model Courts and Courts in Partnership Program which began in 2003 with USAID assistance. The tool the courts have used in their work is the Court Improvement Plan. In 2007, the Court Improvement Plan was approved by the Supreme Judicial Council for implementation in the courts nation-wide.
The project goals include:
Provide sustainability for the achievements of the Model Courts and Courts in Partnership;
Introduce the Model Courts and Courts in Partnership Program in at least three new courts;
Improve customer service through the creation of at least three new information centers in courts;
Create a second part to the Court Improvement Plan;
Continue the active cooperation with the Supreme Judicial Council to promote the Program and the Plan nation-wide.
VІ. Website
The Association has a website – www.prss-bg.org
The website of the Association has been reorganized completely. The update has been possible under the project funded by USAID and German Marshall Fund. The website provides information about the organization, its goals, team and projects. The Articles of Association are posted as well as notices concerning the work of the Program. The website is maintained in two languages – Bulgarian and English. A web forum has been set up where chairpersons, judges, court administrators and others discuss topics of importance to the effective and transparent work of the courts.
VІІ. Media relations
The Program for the Development of the Judicial System is developing close cooperation in working with the media. All events related to the work of the PDJS have been covered in the media widely – for example, the meetings related to the evidence carts, the opening of the Information Center of the Prosecutor’s Office and others. The cooperation with the media will continue in the future.
VIII. Office
In 2008, the PDJS moved to a new office and the address of the Association is Boyana, 40 Nikola Petkov Blvd., Sofia 1618.
