EU Project Pravo-Justice Arranged Study Visit to the Netherlands for Prosecutors Who Will Work within the Community Prosecutor Initiative

On 13-16 November, with the support of EU Project Pravo-Justice, a study visit to the Kingdom of the Netherlands was arranged for prosecutors from four pilot regions who will work within the Community Prosecutor initiative.

In the course of the visit, the participants had meetings with representatives of the Netherlands Public Prosecution Service, the District Public Prosecution Service of The Hague, and the Public Prosecutors of the cities of Rotterdam and Delft. Moreover, they learned about the functioning of the local system that connects representatives of the criminal justice system, police, prosecutors, social services and local authorities to ensure that cases are handled as quickly as possible when a person is arrested for a minor crime (misdemeanour).

During the visit, Ukrainian partners also had the opportunity to learn more about how probation and juvenile justice system works.

“This trip was exceptionally beneficial and effective. First of all, it allowed the prosecutors participating in the Community Prosecutor initiative to see first-hand how criminal justice authorities work based on a human-centred approach. After all, the Netherlands is a vivid example of a country where law enforcement agencies protect the rights of individuals and at the same time ensure a balance between the interests of the community, other citizens’ security and preventing criminal offences in the future,” said Oleksandra Dermanska, National Key Expert of the Justice Sector Policy and Coordination Component of EU Project Pravo-Justice.

As a reminder, the Office of the Prosecutor General started the Community Prosecutor initiative in August 2023. It aims to implement the principle that prosecutors and law enforcement officers should put the interests and safety of people at the centre of their activities.

Thus, some prosecutors in the regions will become “community prosecutors”. They will be selected from among those already working in the field and will be given extra training.

EU Project Pravo-Justice has been involved in the initiative from the very beginning and will continue supporting it. In particular, Project experts previously participated in selecting community prosecutors completed in early November.