LEB/ LEBANON: EU-FUNDED OBSERVATORY TO MONITOR TRANSPARENCY OF JUDICIARY

The Legal Agenda, a Beirut-based NGO that addresseslegal reform issues, has launched its
 Civil Observatory for the Independence and Transparency of the Judiciary in Lebanon to
 monitor the work of the judiciary by following up on the implementation of laws across the
 country. The project is financed by the European Union in the framework of the European
 Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights. Judicial authorities, judges, lawyers and civil
 society representatives were present at the launch last week, as well as the Head of Section
 for Political Affairs of the Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon Mrs Elsa Fenet.
 
 The Civil Observatory will particularly pay attention to any interference in judicial decisions and
 to the treatment of the most vulnerable persons in Lebanon. In this way, it will improve the
 availability of data, qualitative research and media reporting on legal issues by interacting with
 citizens and civil society organisations on the ground.
 
The EU supports this project as it is in line with the priority given by the EU and its Member States to the strengthening of public institutions, and in particular the justice system in Lebanon. Furthermore it corresponds to the EU's approach of bringing together national institutions and civil society with a view to improving the effective protection of citizens' rights based on national laws, the constitution and international conventions...(link)