The Balkan Enforcement Strengthening Project (BESP) was initiated in September 2020. The Center for International Legal Cooperation (CILC) started, together with UIHJ (UIHJ’s first vice-president Jos Uitdehaag was the lead expert) and funded by the Dutch ministry of foreign affairs a 5 year project aimed to strengthen the systems of private enforcement agents, in Albania, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. The project had two major components: strengthening cross-border enforcement and making the self-employed enforcement profession more accountable by strengthening relevant mechanisms for monitoring and control.
In close cooperation with the main beneficiaries in the respective legal systems, the chambers of private enforcement agents, ministries of justice and judicial academies numerous activities were organised.
With regard to the monitoring and control component, seven regional workshops for representatives of the ministries of justice were organised. It resulted in a thorough report “Regional Guidelines for monitoring and control in the Western Balkan region” and, also after the end of the project, close cooperation with the supervisory bodies in the Western Balkan region.
Among the other highlights in the project, the attention for intern and extern communication, the development of Chamber strategies can be mentioned.
Regarding the cross border enforcement, the focus was on the promotion of the HCCH 2019 Judgment Convention. In close cooperation with five university professors in private international law and the Hague Conference for Private International Law, both on a regional and national level several events were organised to strengthen cross border enforcement. Result: four from five countries signed the 2019 Judgment Convention and two countries also ratified the Convention. Regarding training in the different aspects of private international law, the project trained 10 judges to become a trainer on the topic.
On 3rd and 4th of July in Bar, Montenegro the “Balkans Strengthening Enforcement Project” (BESp) organised its closing Conference for all national and international partners and stakeholders from the Western Balkans to reflect on the five years of collaboration, challenges and achievements, insights and takeaways. UIHJ was represented by its president, Marc Schmitz and its first vice-president, and lead expert in the project, Jos Uitdehaag. In its opening speech, the UIHJ president, referred to the success of the project: “ The UIHJ has had the honour to accompany this project from its earliest stages, and I must say: what has been accomplished over these five years is nothing short of remarkable. From the outset, BESp sets an ambitious goal: to strengthen enforcement services and promote regional cooperation across the Western Balkans. It aimed not only to improve procedures, but to improve trust — trust in justice, trust in institutions, and trust among countries. Today, as we look back, we see a landscape that has significantly evolved. The professional status of enforcement agents has been elevated. Oversight mechanisms have become more effective. Disciplinary frameworks are clearer and more consistent. New, high-quality training programs are now available – and perhaps most importantly, a genuine spirit of collaboration has emerged between institutions, both nationally and regionally. These results are not accidental. They are the fruit of collective effort, of shared values, and of a common belief that effective enforcement is not a technical matter — it is a cornerstone of justice, and by extension, of democracy.
A warm thank you once again from UIHJ to all those who cooperated in the project: from the Center for International Legal Cooperation (CILC), the regional coordinators, the Hague Conference for Private International Law (HCCH), the Chambers of private enforcement agents, the Ministries of Justice from the Western Balkans, the Judicial Training Academies from the Western Balkans, the Dutch professional organization of judicial officers (KBvG), the Bulgarian Chamber of private enforcement agents, and the national champions, professors in private international law, from the region.
