Government bodies

Council of Europe European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ)

The European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) is the body established by the Council of Europe to improve the quality and efficiency of European judicial systems and strengthen court users’ confidence in them. The CEPEJ develops tools to support member states in their reform of court organisations and implement European justice standards. The site gives information on the work of the CEPEJ including the CEPEJ-STAT database which has comparison data for the judicial systems of the Council of Europe's member states.

Australian Federal Relations Architecture

Website of the Australian Federal Relations Architecture an intergovernmental forum where Commonwealth, state and territory ministers can meet to manage matters of national significance or issues that need co-ordinated action by all Australian governments. The National Cabinet is a forum for the Prime Minister, Premiers and Chief Ministers and there are Ministerial Councils where Commonwealth, state and territory ministers work collaboratively on issues specific to their portfolio areas through intergovernmental meetings.

Australasian Parliamentary Counsel's Committee

Website of the Australasian Parliamentary Counsel's Committee (PCC), a discussion forum for the development of legislation. The PCC consists of the heads of the offices of Parliamentary Counsel for the Australian Commonwealth, the States, the ACT, the Northern Territory and New Zealand. PCC publications on national uniform legislation and a list of harmonised laws are available on the site, together with a page of links to sites providing legislation for common law jurisdictions. Parts of the site are password-protected. 

European Commission: Banking Union

This section of the European Commission website provides information on the Banking Union which was set up following the financial crisis to create a safer financial sector for the single market. The first two ‘pillars’ of the Banking Union are a single supervisory mechanism (SSM) and single resolution mechanism (SRM). These are explained on the site, and links are given to related documents and EU directives.

ECOWAS Law

Law section of the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) website, focusing on the Treaty of Lagos, 1975, which established this 15-member regional group, and other official documents. The purpose of ECOWAS is to promote economic integration in the region and create an economic and trading union. A revised 1993 version of the Treaty of Lagos is provided, along with regulations, communiques, decisions and other ECOWAS official documents.

WTO iLibrary

This website is the online research depository of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) providing access to WTO reports and key research material on global trade. The library can be searched by theme such as dispute settlement, environment and intellectual property etc., by country or by material type eg. books, papers, statistics or dispute settlement reports. All content can be searched by keyword or by using an advanced search option. Publications are made freely available to read online but a subscription is required to download material.

Scottish Tribunals

This site provides information on the system of tribunals in Scotland as set out in the Tribunals (Scotland) Act 2014. It covers the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland, the Upper Tribunal for Scotland and other Scottish tribunals. Decisions, procedural information, news and other material are available for each tribunal.

Scotland’s Supreme Courts

This website is part of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals site and provides information on Scotland’s two supreme courts - the High Court of Justiciary (Scotland’s supreme criminal court) and the Court of Session (Scotland’s supreme civil court). There is background information on the structure of the courts, along with details of judges, rules and practice directions, and daily court lists. There is also information on the different departments within the courts, including the Petition Department, Keeper’s Office and Justiciary Office.

Scottish Sentencing Council

Official website of the Scottish Sentencing Council, an independent advisory body which prepares sentencing guidelines for the courts in Scotland. Information given on the site includes guidance on sentencing in Scotland and definitions of different types of sentence, such as admonition and community payback orders. The Council also conducts and publishes research on sentencing, which is available on the site along with other publications - sentencing guidelines, annual reports, communications, consultations and teaching resources.

Attorney General’s Office of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

Website of the Afghanistan Attorney General’s Office (AGO), which forms part of the executive branch of the Afghanistan government, but plays an independent role in law enforcement. Background and historical information on the AGO is given on the site, along with biographical information on the Attorney General. Policy documents and reports dealing with the work of the AGO are given in English and there is a section outlining the work of the Afghanistan Prosecutors’ Association.

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