Since 2016, within the framework of the "Justice for Growth" project, an assessment of the justice system of Latvia was carried out. The aim of the project was to improve the operation of the Latvian judicial system in terms of its autonomy, efficiency, and quality, using the tools and methodology developed by the Council of Europe Commission for Judicial Efficiency.
The assessment of the justice system of Latvia was developed in cooperation with three organizations - the Council of Europe's Commission on the Efficiency of European Judicial Systems, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the experts of the International Monetary Fund.
The synergy of all three organizations made it possible to evaluate the judicial system, as well as to provide assessments from a business perspective.
One of the most important recommendations was to introduce a requirement for the number of mandatory study hours that judges must attend every year, thus positively influencing the justice system.
The assessment of the Economic Cooperation and Development Organization highlighted the strengths and challenges of the Latvian justice system in the regulatory framework, also in relation to commercial activity. Later, after the evaluation, the Court of Economic Affairs was established in Latvia, which provides specialization and examination of these cases also in the field of commercial law.
In a report published in January 2019, the International Monetary Fund recognized Latvia's progress in creating a reliable insolvency system. Suggestions for improvement were mainly related to business recovery and collection of insolvency data and statistics.
The purpose of developing the evaluation of the justice system was to improve the functioning of the justice field, as well as to support the development and growth of the economy. The provided recommendations helps to improve and modernize the operation of the justice system of Latvia. In addition, the conclusions made during the evaluation can be used as a basis for the preparation of specific reform plans and possible amendments to regulatory acts.
Watch the video and find out more about the assessment of the Latvian justice system: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRFlk_ZBIqU
