Europe & Eurasia

Background

The Europe and Eurasia Program, also known as CEELI, was founded in 1990 as the ABA's first international technical legal assistance program. Today, the ABA has programs in nearly 20 countries in the region. These furnish technical assistance on a wide range of issues essential for further consolidation of the rule of law, including: judicial independence and effective judicial ethics regimes; adjudicating war crimes cases and increasing application of human rights norms; increasing access to justice; reforming legislation and legal institutions in countries striving for European Union accession; reforming law schools to better prepare tomorrow's legal professionals; combating corruption by adopting public integrity measures; building a "rule of law culture" by educating the public about legal rights and responsibilities; and revising procedural and substantive criminal codes to attack trafficking, money laundering, cybercrime, and other domestic and transnational crimes. Increasingly, the Europe and Eurasia program (CEELI) is working to establish "legacy" organizations that can continue to support reform after the ABA Rule of Law Initiative departs a country, as well as focusing on cementing relationships with in-country reformers with whom it can remain in contact and support after its offices close.

 

News and Program Highlights

 

Pro Bono Legal Clinic Opens in Yerevan, Armenia

The opening of Yerevan’s first pro bono legal clinic proved worthy of celebration on September 2, with representatives from the Armenian government and judicial system, law schools, nongovernmental organizations, international donor institutions and the media in attendance. The clinic, which is housed at Open University’s law school, will provide free legal services to economically and socially vulnerable groups in Armenian society. Outreach efforts will focus on connecting with refugees and with victims of political violence. Read more »»

 

New Disciplinary System and Ethics Code Proven Effective in Kosovo

Reports of ethics violations by attorneys in Kosovo have increased dramatically in less than a year, yet—thanks to the new disciplinary system—the Kosovo Chamber of Advocates (KCA) has been efficient in resolving these cases. The recently-implemented ethics code and disciplinary system for attorneys and non-professional members of the legal community have increased the ability of the public to report abuses and the KCA’s ability to effectively investigate and respond to those accusations. The ABA Rule of Law Initiative’s legal specialists and other staff helped to draft the ethics code and to create the disciplinary system, with funding from the United States Agency for International Development. Read more »»

 

More Serbian Attorneys Now Ready to Represent Clients Before the European Court of Human Rights

Since the ratification of the European Convention on Human Rights in March 2004, the European Court of Human Rights has dismissed nearly 50 percent of the 2,729 submissions brought against Serbia. Of those submissions on which the Court did make a ruling, only 16 were upheld as violations of the Convention. Read more » 

 

A Great Start: First Elearning Program Portends Expanded CLE In Serbia

The American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) recently introduced an online continuing legal education program for attorney trainees in Serbia. The pilot program was the first of its kind in the nation and it offered legal coursework online from December 2007 through April 2008. The program was designed by ABA ROLI and then implemented in cooperation with the Niš Bar Association and the Faculty of Information Technology (FIT) in Belgrade. Read more »

 

Former ABA President Promotes Professional Cooperation in Kosovo

On June 19 and 20, former American Bar Association (ABA) President Michael Greco visited Kosovo to participate in roundtable discussions hosted by the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) in cooperation with its local partners the Kosovo Chamber of Advocates (KCA), the Kosovo Judges Association and Pristina University’s law faculty. The discussions, which included participants from each partner organization, addressed legal education and the regulation of the bench and the bar in the country. Read more »

 

 

Public Legal Education Pioneers in Southern Kyrgyzstan

The public legal education program in Kyrgyzstan is one-of-kind. In addition to having taught more than 7,000 young people about their legal rights as citizens, ABA ROLI's street law-type program has dramatically affected those young people who chose to participate in the program. Read more »

 

ABA ROLI Hosts Seminar on Human Trafficking in Kosovo

The American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI), the United States Department of Justice and the ABA Section on Litigation recently conducted a 2-day advocacy skills workshop for Kosovo judges, prosecutors, lawyers, police and others involved in the prosecution of human trafficking cases. Read more »