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| Representatives of the Spanish General Judicial Council visited CSD
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 A judicial reform based on a broad political consensus was recommended as the most appropriate solution for Bulgaria by Mr. Juan Pablo Gonzalez, President of the International Relations Committee of the Spanish General Judicial Council, during a meeting with representatives of the CSD Law Program on November 25, 2003. Mr. Gonzalez together with Mr. Joaquin Delgado Martin, Head of Department in the General Judicial Council, and Mr. Alfredo Martinez Serano, Deputy Head of Mission of the Spanish Embassy in Bulgaria, visited CSD in relation with the recently launched project for reforming Bulgarian criminal procedure legislation, which will be implemented in cooperation with Spanish experts. On behalf of CSD the meeting was attended by the Center’s Chairman Dr. Ognian Shentov, the Director of the Law Program Dr. Maria Yordanova, and the Law Program Project Coordinator Mr. Dimitar Markov.
 In his opening remarks Dr. Ognian Shentov underlined the success of the judicial reform in Spain and expressed his belief that following the Spanish experience could substantially facilitate the process of reforming Bulgarian judiciary. He explicitly underlined the importance of the broad political consensus for the effective implementation of any reform and especially the one of the judiciary. Referring to the importance of international cooperation for successfully reforming Bulgarian judiciary, Dr. Shentov paid special attention to the Spanish contribution and the effective approach chosen by the Spanish experts.
 Presenting the Spanish model Mr. Juan Pablo Gonzalez mentioned the low level of corruption in Spanish judiciary which subsequently facilitated the development of the reform process and expressed his concerns that corruption could be the main challenge to be faced when reforming Bulgarian judiciary. He also paid attention to the significant role of the Spanish Constitution, which turned into a strong legal basis for the reforms.
 Dr. Maria Yordanova presented briefly the activities of CSD in the field of judicial reform focusing on the recently published Judicial Anti-Corruption Program (JACP). Dr. Yordanova underlined the consensus nature of the Program, assured not only by the broad circle of experts involved in its development but also by the considerable number of governmental institutions and non-governmental organizations, among which a draft version of the Program was circulated for comments and recommendations.
 Some specific issues related to judicial reform were also discussed such as the procedures for election of the Supreme Judicial Council and the Constitutional Court in Bulgaria, the relation between judicial reform and the fight against corruption and organized crime, etc.
In conclusion Mr. Alfredo Martinez Serano underlined the important role of CSD for promoting and assisting judicial reform in Bulgaria and expressed his hope that despite some recent failures the reform process has marked considerable progress and will continue towards the main goal – the building of an effective and trustworthy judicial system.
Round table: Spanish Experience in Reforming the Judiciary
Discussion: Spanish Experience in Reforming Judiciary: Lessons for Bulgarian Transition | |
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