Reference Document Nr. 9: Support to Justice Reform in ACP Countries

This document was prepared by a team of consultants hired under a service contract concluded between HTSPE and the European Commission (EC), funded by the facility for studies of the 9th European Development Fund (EDF). It has benefited from discussions in a reference group, a consultation workshop held in Brussels1 and a peer review bringing together representatives of the delegations and services of the headquarters of the EC (EuropeAid RELEX, DEV, JLS). It is based on experience of support for the justice sector provided by the EC to ACP countries in a rapidly growing area of cooperation and offers a subsequent reference document that covers all countries benefiting from cooperation with the EC.

This version of the study is based on the experience of supporting justice reform in ACP countries and it will be followed by a more comprehensive study covering the EU support to this sector in all third countries. It does not analyze the details of implemented projects nor it identifies all features of the justice reform in ACP countries, but based on the experience and leveraging practices from ACP countries, it provides an overview of the main features of support to the justice sector.