The justice sector reform is an approach announced by almost all the governments that managed Moldova after the declaring of Independence, but something went wrong every time. The lack of communication or the absence of stable benchmarks for those who try to do the reform is now one of the serious problems that hamper the implementation of an authentic reform, said the lawyer of Promo LEX Association Vadim Vieru.

In a debate at IPN entitled “Justice sector reform: expectations, actions and consequences”, Vadim Vieru said it is now essential to establish a viable mechanism of efficient communication with judges. The Ministry of Justice’s approach to the method of doing the reform is also very important.

“The messages delivered by the representatives of the Government, including the Ministry of Justice, matter a lot. The team of the Ministry and the approach to particular things and reforms are also important. I would yet say only that more intense communication is needed. The judges are not involved in particular working groups, but they should be there as they know the practical aspects,” stated Vadim Vieru.  

Asked if civil society can become involved more and can lend a hand in the process of reforming the justice sector by communicating problems and solutions regarding this desideratum on public platforms, the lawyer said it is important to realize that civil society does not consist only of several NGOs that are sometimes more vocal. There are also other social players that should become involved more.

“Civil society does no consist of nongovernmental organizations only. Civil society also includes the academic community, the lawyers, the judges, the extraparliamentary parties and this broad meaning should be taken into account. We need this common effort in order to ensure efficient justice as each of us can suffer as a result of a shortcoming in the justice system. There should be a diverse society and differing opinions should be debated publicly if it’s the case,” said the lawyer.

Vadim Vieru noted that communication is needed and this should be concrete and should involve the players that are covered directly by the justice sector reform. The crucial opinions should also be taken into account if these can contribute to an authentic reform.

The debate titled “Justice sector reform: expectations, actions and consequences” was staged by IPN News Agency as part of the project “Support for the Justice Reform through multimedia coverage of cases of alleged injustice”.