Delegation of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Republic of Moldova and the Council of Europe visits the Supreme Court of Estonia

The Supreme Court of Justice of the Republic of Moldova and the Moldovan judicial system as a whole, is currently undergoing a comprehensive judicial reform. Their new law on the Supreme Court, which was adopted in 2023, reduces the number of judges from 33 to 20, and will also allow lawyers, prosecutors and law professors to apply to become judges. Other areas of focus include narrowing the scope for cassation, harmonising jurisprudence and background checks for judges. The changes are aimed at increasing public confidence in the Moldovan judiciary and improving the quality of judgments.

The first day of the visit started with an overview of the functioning of the Estonian judicial system and the role of the Supreme Court. Karin Leichter-Tammisto, Legal Adviser to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, introduced the three-tier judicial system in Estonia, the work of the self-governing councils of judges and the role of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court both in the Supreme Court and in the judicial system as a whole. The competences of the Plenary Session of the Supreme Court in hearing cases and judicial administration and personnel matters, as well as the organisation of work in the chambers, were presented by Supreme Court justices Kai Kullerkupp, Velmar Brett, Oliver Kask, Kaupo Paal, Paavo Randma and advisors Maarja Torga, Kadri Kivistik and Risto Uustal.

On Monday afternoon, the Moldovan delegation will take a closer look at the structure and work of the Supreme Court's departments. The Head of the Legal Information and Judicial Training Department and the Head of Finance will introduce their tasks.

On Tuesday, the second day of the visit, the focus will be on human resources management and communication. The internal and external communication of the Supreme Court and the communication organisation across the courts will be discussed. In addition, international relations and the co-operation with other supreme courts, networks and organisations will be discussed.

The guests will continue their study visit in Helsinki, where they will meet with the Supreme Court of Finland and the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland.

According to Karin Leichter-Tammisto, Legal Adviser to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and organiser of the visit, this is an excellent opportunity to share Estonia's experience and strengthen co-operation between the respective courts." The delegation of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Republic of Moldova wished to get acquainted with essentially the entire organisation of the Supreme Court's work, so the schedule is very tight. I hope that the discussions will also provide interesting ideas for the officials of the Supreme Court," said Leichter-Tammisto.

Photos: Supreme Court of Estonia.

Further information: Karin Leichter-Tammisto, Legal Adviser to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, +372 730 9022, karin [dot] leichter-tammistoriigikohus [dot] ee