Moldova, Lithuania to cooperate in justice sector

Moldova and Lithuania will exchange experience in reforming the justice sector under a cooperation agreement that was signed by the Moldovan Ministry of Justice and the Lithuanian Council of Judges and the Court Administration on Tuesday in Chisinau, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to a communiqué from the Ministry of Justice, the agreement focuses on such aspects as the administration of courts of law, strengthening of the judicial self-managing institutions, the selection of judges, optimization of the trial process, informational systems for judges, etc. The parties also signed a joint plan of action for 2012. Minister of Justice Oleg Efrim highlighted the similarities existing between the two countries, voicing hope the experience of the Lithuanian colleagues, who implemented a broad reform in the justice sector, will enable the Moldovan authorities to avoid many mistakes. For his part, the head of the Council of Judges of Lithuania Gintaras Kryzevicius said the legalization of these relations is mutually advantageous, stressing Moldova’s experience can be useful to Lithuania. The same day, the Lithuanian delegation consisting of representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the Council of Judges, the Court Administration, the Association of Jurists and of the University of Vilnius took part in a roundtable meeting where there was set up a Moldovan-Lithuanian Legal Cooperation Forum that represents an informal platform aimed at contributing to the improvement of the experience exchange between the jurists of the two countries and at promoting the justice reform initiated by the Government of Moldova. The cooperation agreement was signed and the Moldovan-Lithuanian Legal Cooperation Forum constituted on the eve of an official visit by Prime Minister Vlad Filat to Lithuania.