The EU and the Council of Europe working together for the consolidation of judicial independence and the rule of law

Ambassador Meglena Kuneva sharing her thoughts on the PGG II joint programme during an interview at the Council of Europe

Supporting judicial reforms and propping up democratic institutional standards are the key priorities of one of the most successful joint programmes established between the EU and the Council of Europe over the recent years. In its broadest scope, the PGG II aims to nurture and sustain free, effective, transparent and rule-of-law compliant governance as part of its strategic focus on the six countries of EU’s Eastern Partnership: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.

On 25 February 2020, several young judicial candidates from Georgia organized a study visit to Strasbourg in the framework of PGG II, themed "Supporting the criminal justice reforms – tackling criminal aspects of the judicial reforms in Georgia". Ambassador Kuneva had the opportunity to exchange with them on the subject of judicial independence and the rule of law as essential milestones in Georgia’s ongoing process of democratic consolidation. She pointed out that the EU would stick to its commitment towards the further democratization of the region and praised the role that the European Convention on Human Rights and the Court’s jurisprudence play in informing and guiding this process.