Brussels, 01/03/2012 (Agence Europe) - Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Füle and Deputy Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Baramidze signed a financing agreement on Wednesday 29 February for a new three-year programme to support criminal justice reform in Georgia.
The programme, the total cost of which is estimated at €18 million, is designed to strengthen the rule of law and human rights by promoting restorative justice, improving prison conditions, or offering alternatives to imprisonment, such as a community work or early release. “This new programme aims to build on what Georgia has achieved so far with our support; helping to reduce the prison population and further increase human rights”, said Füle. He highlighted, in particular, the fall in the number of long prison sentences for young people who committed minor crimes, “offering them instead alternatives such as community service, vocational training or education”. The EU has already contributed to the reform of the Georgian justice system. Since 2008, it has provided more than €20 million to the criminal justice system and the Ombudsman. (CG/transl.rt)