Documents library

January- March 2015

The Opinion, requested on 21 May 2015 by the First Deputy Minister of Justice of Georgia, dealt with a new system for the appointment and accountability of the Chief Prosecutor of Georgia. Overall, the Venice Commission, OSCE/ODIHR and the CCPE/DGI consider that the reform of the Prosecutor’s Office goes into the right direction. However, the Georgian authorities are encouraged to pursue further changes to ensure the depoliticisation of the office of the Chief Prosecutor, including by introducing clear qualification and experience criteria; introducing more transparency in the manner of selection of candidates by Parliament; ensuring that the power to nominate prosecutors to the Prosecutorial Council does not belong exclusively to the top officials of the prosecutorial system; introducing further guarantees for the independence of the Prosecutorial Council, and by clearly defining the coercive powers of the Special Prosecutor, as well as the nature of the investigation he/she may conduct.

Gender-sensitive labour migration workshop, Valletta, Malta, 7-9 October 2015

This paper contributes to the review of the implementation of the Kosovo Action Plan on the Implementation of the Strategy for the Integration of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian Communities (2009–2015), providing commentary and recommendations on implementation and focusing on the May 2011 to July 2012 period.

The Opinion notes many positive aspects of the draft amendments, such as the newly introduced possibility for police bodies to issue emergency restraining orders on site, the criminalization of the violation of protection orders issued by courts, and the willingness to exclude alternative dispute resolution mechanisms in domestic violence cases – which demonstrates Moldova’s willingness to render its legislation compliant with international standards. At the same time, in light of the latest case law of the European Court of Human Rights and recent reports from international human rights bodies, the main challenge remains the actual implementation of the relevant legislation in practice, and ensuring the effective investigation and prosecution of domestic violence cases in Moldova. The Opinion states that a number of provisions of the draft amendments could be drafted in a clearer manner and provides a number of recommendations to ensure a more effective implementation of the legal framework on preventing and combating domestic violence in Moldova.

This report presents the findings of the assessment of performance evaluation of judges in Moldova which OSCE/ODIHR conducted between February and May 2014 in response to a request from the Superior Council of Magistracy (SCM) of Moldova of 20 September 2013. Responding to the same request, OSCE/ODIHR also provided a legal opinion on the Law on the Selection, Performance Evaluation and Career of Judges of Moldova. This report complements the legal opinion with findings and recommendations on the Moldovan system’s practice in implementing the law.

Address by Astrid Thors, OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities to a public event on the role of education in conflict prevention organized by The Hague Institute for Global Justice, The Hague, the Netherlands, 1 October 2014.

“Water governance in the OSCE area – increasing security and stability through co-operation”, First Preparatory Meeting of the 23rd OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum, Vienna, 26-27 January 2015.