Court Optimization in Romania
2011 – 2013
Seven years after its accession to the EU, the courts in Romania remained inefficient, plagued by backlogs, and susceptible to corrupt influences. To address these inefficiencies, EWMI implemented a court administration reform project, funded by the World Bank, to modernize Romania’s judiciary, improve management, and increase efficiency by developing standards for court performance and introducing improved methods for resource management. In particular, EWMI advised the Superior Council of the Magistracy (SCM) on establishing a comprehensive system for monitoring and benchmarking the efficiency of the courts, enabling it to better measure, monitor and improve performance and allocate resources. The project also began to implement recommended reforms through training programs and piloting at individual courts. EWMI’s initiatives improved transparency and efficiency in the Romanian judiciary, helping to align it with European standards.