Bulgaria and Romania: Enhancing the efficiency of the public prosecutor´s offices of Bulgaria and Romania in the field of dealing with victims of crime and promoting their cooperation with local and foreign victim support organisations

Delegation of the Romanian Public Prosecutor’s Office on talks on the issue of victim’s protection at the Weißer Ring e.V. in Mainz
Delegation of the Romanian Public Prosecutor’s Office on talks on the issue of victim’s protection at the Weißer Ring e.V. in Mainz

EU Action Grant

Responsible at the IRZ: Katharina Tegeder, Frank Hupfeld

Project Partners: The Prosecutor´s Office of Republic of Bulgaria, The Prosecutor´s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice Romania, The Weisser Ring e.V

The project, which commenced in February 2016 and will end in January 2018, comprises three components: In the first component, the intention is to improve the efficiency of the public prosecutor’s offices in Bulgaria and Romania in their treatment of victims of crime. Additionally, their awareness is to be increased and they are to be trained in the respectful treatment of victims of crime. The second component is concerned with strengthening the cooperation between victim protection associations and the public prosecutor’s offices. The third component will deal with the development of an information brochure for crime victims by Romanian and Bulgarian victim protection associations in collaboration with the Weißer Ring.

Following the successful further training seminars for public prosecutors, police officers and staff of victim protection associations in Bulgaria and Romania, in which some 175 people in total were able to receive further training, expert talks were held in Germany and Brussels. Two delegations of Romanian and Bulgarian public prosecutors conducted expert talks at the Ministry of Justice, the State Office of Criminal Investigations, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Weißer Ring in Mainz. The participants thus had the opportunity to gain practical insights into the field of victim protection in Germany and the collaboration between authorities and victim protection organisations. Another study trip included meetings at the European Commission and Victim Support Europe and took place in mid-November.

In cooperation with the project partner Weißer Ring, another seminar was held in Sofia to develop a handbook for dealing with victims and a brochure with information on victim protection organisations in Bulgaria. Equivalent seminars were also held in Romania. All project results will be presented at the final conference in Sofia in early 2018.

Funded by the European Union