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Exit Strategies and Court Management post COVID-19
Meeting
- Date:
- Location:
- Online event (13:30 to 16:00 on 4, 9 and 18 June; CET/ GMT+2 time zone)
- Organized by:
- OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), European Association of Judges (EAJ)
- Source:
- OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
- Fields of work:
- Rule of law
About
ODIHR in cooperation with the European Association of Judges will hold three online consultations in June to discuss in detail issues identified as urgent for judiciary systems in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. These include:
- health and safety in the context of reopening courts (event scheduled on 4 June)
- how to 'triage' urgent cases and allocate facilities at reopening courts (event on 9 June)
- the new types of cases as a consequence of the pandemic (event on 18 June)
Context
In the majority of OSCE participating states, the pandemic has resulted in full or part closures of courts and the suspension of procedures, except for urgent cases. As countries emerge from lockdown, social distancing is one of the tools being utilised to ensure safety and to reduce the transmission of the virus. This has various implications for courts.
The judiciary also has to consider how to organise resources in reopening courts, including which courtrooms are compliant with social distancing rules, whether to continue to deal with certain cases remotely and which procedures will require face-to-face hearings.
The Covid-19 pandemic has also resulted in new types of cases reaching the courts, in particular remedies against excessive emergency measures in individual cases, and judicial scrutiny of emergency legislation against constitutional safeguards and international law.
In April, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) created a platform for discussion amongst judges, judges associations, judicial councils, lawyers and NGOs. This is within ODIHR’s mandate to assist OSCE participating states. The platform serves to collect information on how courts are trying to address challenges during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as possible shortcomings of the adopted measures.
Related events
For a description of past events please see:
- The functioning of courts in the Covid-19 pandemic (from 9 April 2020)
- Courts in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic (from 7 May 2020)
Contact
