12. Welcomes the adoption of the Strategy and the Action Plan on the reform of the judiciary 2013-2018, built around the key principles of independence, impartiality, competence, quality of the judiciary and freedom from political interference; urges the authorities to intensify this reform in line with the recommendations of the Venice Commission, especially with regard to the role of the parliament in judicial appointments and the independence of the prosecution, and with a view to the screening process of Chapter 23, which commenced on 25 September 2013; stresses the importance of strengthening the independence of High Judicial and State Prosecutorial Councils and reducing the backlog of cases, as a necessary condition for the successf ...[+++]ul sequencing of the entire reform process; calls on the authorities to provide all the necessary resources for the Judicial Academy, which should be instrumental in guaranteeing merit-based recruitments; emphasises the need for continuous training of judges and prosecutors to deal with complex financial cases and economic crimes; urges the authorities responsible to ensure a transparent and merit-based process of appointment of judges and prosecutors as well as a solid track-record of disciplinary proceedings against the judicial personnel; insists further on the need to ensure timely justice together with the unification of jurisprudence, the publication of, and easy access to, all judicial decisions immediately after adoption and the random allocation of cases in all courts; is concerned about the legal uncertainty arising from the number of judges carrying out their duties in acting capacity; reiterates the fact that a strong and independent judiciary is key to Serbia’s capacity to meet EU membership criteria;

These amendments brought reactions from the Romanian magistracy,[36] and from the international community.[37] One issue raised was the fact that the UN Convention on Corruption states that all public officials holding legislative, executive, administrative or judicial office should be covered by corruption and conflict of interest rules.[38] The Constitutional Court of Romania ruled in January 2014 that the amendments were unconstitutional, citing in particular the need to respect obligations stemming from international law, as well ...[+++]as the principle of equality before the law enshrined in the Romanian Constitution.

B. whereas the EEA Agreement provides the basis for Norway to enjoy equal access to the internal market and whereas the parties to the Agreement have found it to be mutually beneficial;

WHEREAS the courts in a majority of the provinces and in one territory have recognized that the right to equality without discrimination requires that couples of the same sex and couples of the opposite sex have equal access to marriage for civil purposes;

I must say that these proposals cause me, as they do my fellow Member, Mrs Flautre, a great deal of concern as to the effects they might have on working conditions, jobs and the quality of services provided with equal access for all, in other words, on the very future of public services.

21. Points out that everyone is entitled to be heard by an independent and impartial judge and to be given a fair trial governed by the principle of presumption of innocence; stresses the importance of respect for the principles of equal access to justice, protection of the rights of the defence, and equal conditions especially in criminal proceedings;