The trainees of the National Institute of Justice represented the Republic of Moldova at the prestigious European competition THEMIS of the European Judicial Training Network. This year's edition, entitled "European Union and Criminal Procedure Law", took place in Naples, Italy, from 3 to 6 May 2022.
The THEMIS competition has a unique format, being designed for the trainees of the judiciary schools from Europe, to exchange views and new approaches on dimensions related to international civil and criminal cooperation, human rights and judicial ethics.
Reaching the semifinals, the NIJ trainees - Olga Marandici, candidate for the position of judge, Ștefan Milicenco, candidate for the position of judge, and Cristian Iordan, candidate for the position of prosecutor, competed with nine other teams from similar institutions. The team presented the topic in English - "Transnational collection of electronic evidence in Europe", mentored by Armen Oganesean, NIJ trainer and prosecutor. The trainees highlighted the issues regarding the importance of successful accomplishment in international requests of electronic evidence collection.
The NIJ team had 30 minutes to present their chosen topic, followed by a question and answer session with representatives of another randomly selected team and members of the jury composed of judges and prosecutors from Austria, Greece and the United Kingdom. Thorough preparation for this event, performance and acquired knowledge are a unique experience for NIJ trainees, which will be beneficial for their chosen career path.
NIJ representatives also participated at THEMIS in 2008, 2009 and 2015. This year, the participation of the National Institute of Justice became possible thanks to the project “Support for the reform of the justice sector in Moldova - Strengthening national capacities in providing effective skills-based training for professionals in the legal field ”, implemented by the UNDP with the financial support of the US Government.
