Page 8 - GEORptOct22

2.0 Politics
2.1 Georgian Dream ruling party reveals judicial reform
plans
Georgia’s ruling political party Georgian Dream has announced plans to reform the country’s judiciary. Anri Okhanashvili, a Georgian Dream MP and chairperson of the Legal Issues Committee, presented an action plan for the judicial reforms on 3 October.
The reform plans include, among other things, ensuring a sufficient number of judges and court officials to carry out duties within a reasonable timeframe, reducing the number of active cases in the courts by offering alternative means of resolving disputes, improving the professional development of judges and court officials, improving transparency within the judicial system, and improving the digital infrastructure.
Okhanashvili stated that addressing lingering challenges within Georgia’s judicial system and improving the quality of the courts is an important step on the country’s path to EU integration. On this front, the proposed reforms aim to improve mechanisms for implementing judgments made at the European Court of Human Rights.
Back in September, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that Georgia needs to accelerate reforms in areas such as the rule of law, the independence of justice, and media freedom before it can be granted the status of a European Union membership candidate.
"These are crucial areas when it comes to European values and principles, and we count on Georgia's effort to address the existing shortcomings," Borrell told reporters after meeting Georgia's Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili in Brussels to discuss his country's EU membership bid on September 6.
During the reforms announcement, Okhanashvili criticised earlier judicial reform proposals from opposition and independent MPs. According to Okhanashvili, such proposals “are inconsistent with the Georgian Constitution, are not based on established international practice, and will eventually lead to the obstruction of justice and the instigation of inappropriate political processes in the court.”
Reform of the High Council of Justice (Georgia’s supreme oversight body in charge of regulating the judiciary), transparency and predictability in appointments to the council, and freeing the prosecution from political pressures have been some just some of the main proposals both by opposition parties and civil society organisations.
8 GEORGIA Country Report October 2022 www.intellinews.com