On Friday, August 23, 2024, the online launch of the distance learning course "Personal Data Protection in the Context of Publishing Court Decisions" took place. Developed by the European Program for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP Program), the e-course is being piloted at the national level by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) for 71 legal professionals, including judges, prosecutors, prosecutors' consultants, heads of secretariats, judicial assistants, clerks, court and prosecution office employees, lawyers providing state-guaranteed legal assistance, NIJ trainers, and others.
In her opening remarks, Ecaterina Popa, Head of the Training and Research Department and HELP focal point, emphasized the impressive number of over 2,000 NIJ beneficiaries who have completed HELP courses in the past year alone. She also expressed the NIJ’s interest in launching new HELP training sessions on topics relevant to the Republic of Moldova’s integration into the European Union.
During the event, moderated by Tatiana Bruma, Head of the e-Learning Section of the Legal Information Center , representatives from the Council of Europe—Oana Girlescu, Project Manager at the Justice and Human Rights Education Unit, HELP, and Octavian Sofransky, Consultant at the Department of Digital Governance and Development—along with the national tutor of the HELP Program, Tatiana Ciaglic, Head of CIJ and NIJ trainer, discussed recent developments in the HELP Program, the international regulatory framework, challenges to protecting the right to privacy, the perspectives and shortcomings regarding public access to court rulings in Moldova, practical aspects of implementing the e-course, and more.
The HELP course "Personal Data Protection in the Context of Publishing Court Decisions" will be active from August 23 to September 23, 2024, and is the 23rd course offered by the National Institute of Justice. The training program consists of two modules that, through the lens of ECtHR jurisprudence and EU regulations, highlight the importance of data protection in the publication of court rulings and explain what personal data is, as well as the methods for collecting, using, and protecting it through various mechanisms and tools. The completion of this course aims to achieve several learning objectives, including the ability to draft or revise court decisions in accordance with data protection standards and knowledge of available procedural and operational remedies, as well as how to apply them.
The event was organized by the European Program for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals and the National Institute of Justice.