EWMI NEWS 2007:
OCTOBER 2007
EIGHT YEARS OF EWMI ASSISTANCE TO BULGARIA’S JUDICIARY

Since 1999, EWMI has been working to make Bulgaria’s judicial system more effective, transparent, accountable and professional. On September 28, 2007, EWMI’s USAID-funded Judicial Strengthening Initiative, which was a follow up project to EWMI’s Judicial Development Project, concluded. EWMI’s projects leave behind several important and tangible legacies in Bulgaria: the National Institute of Justice, which has now become a fully sustainable Bulgarian institution that provides comprehensive, modern and innovative training programs for judges and prosecutors; 32 Model Courts and Courts in Partnership that the projects selected and worked with to improve court administration throughout the country; and the creation of a new NGO made up of former JSI staffers, the Program for the Development of the Judicial System. EWMI deeply appreciates the efforts of who contributed so much to the success of the project, including our dedicated staff in Sofia; our Bulgarian counterparts in the judiciary, government, and media and NGO communities; our collaborators at the European Union and other USAID projects; and our donors and supporters at USAID and the US Embassy.