New draft for performance evaluation of judges discussed with Venice Commission

Director of the "Centre for Legislation Development and Legal Research" Foundation of the Ministry of Justice Tigran Dadunts held an on-line discussion with representatives of the Venice Commission and the Council of Europe Directorate General for Human Rights and Rule of Law. The on-line meeting began with the opening remarks of Tigran Dadunts in which he expressed gratitude to the representatives of the Venice Commission and the Council of Europe Directorate General Human for Rights and Rule of Law for their willingness to provide the joint expert opinion, after which he touched upon the need and expediency for setting up an Evaluation Commission to evaluate performance of judges and introducing a new evaluation model. Later, the discussion was on the key target points of the draft.

In particular, the issues of setting up an Evaluation Commission for evaluating the performance of judges to be set up in accordance with the proposed new model, the main directions of the Commission's activities, the periodicity, methodology for evaluating performance of judges and the effects of evaluation were considered.

On 5 August 2024, the Ministry of Justice submitted to the Venice Commission and the Council of Europe Directorate General for Human Rights and Rule of Law the draft Law "On envisaging amendments to the Constitutional Law "Judicial Code" and related laws and on setting up the Commission for Performance Evaluation of Judges and implementing a new model for the Evaluation Commission”, requesting that the Venice Commission and the Council of Europe Directorate General for Human Rights and Rule of Law provide an advisory opinion on the package. It is anticipated to receive the opinion of the Commission in October of this year.

Legal Advisor at the Venice Commission Taras Pashuk; expert of the European Commission Directorate General for Democracy and Human Dignity Duro Sessa; Honorary President of the Venice Commission Hanna Suchocka; member of the Venice Commission from Bosnia and Herzegovina Zlatko Knežević; member of the Venice Commission from Estonia Lauri Mälksoo, as well as Project Manager at Council of Europe Office in Yerevan Arman Zrvandyan participated in the on-line meeting.