A new joint project of the European Union and the Council of Europe "Ensuring the best interests of the child in civil court proceedings in Slovenia" has been launched in Bled. The project, co-funded by the EU and the Council of Europe and enacted by the Council of Europe's Children's Rights Division in close co-operation with the Slovenian Ministry of Justice, will run until the end of February 2026.
The project's inception report stresses that while Slovenia has made big steps forward for the protection of children's rights in criminal law proceedings, significant improvements are still needed to uphold children's rights in the civil law system, particularly regarding delays in family law proceedings involving children. The length of processing of such cases is estimated at between 14 months and nearly three years, in some instances. The three main challenges in overcoming these delays are the lack of court experts in clinical psychology (the most often appointed experts in family law proceedings), the excessive use of legal instruments and the lack of a systemic approach. The new project aims at rendering the process more effective and child-friendly by reviewing the current legal framework and assisting Slovenian authorities in drafting new legislation.
Dr Igor Šoltes, State Secretary at the Ministry of Justice of Slovenia, Jerneja Jug Jerše, Head of the European Commission Representation in Slovenia, and Zaruhi Gasparyan, Head of Cooperation Projects Unit at the Children's Rights Division of the Council of Europe, delivered opening remarks at the event.
The key outcome of the project will be the adoption of a comprehensive Action Plan to reform Slovenia's legal framework in the field of civil court proceedings involving children, and the start of its implementation.
Reforming Slovenian civil procedure legislation to address delays in family law proceedings involving children a key goal of the new EU-Council of Europe project
