February 6, 2004

U.S. AMBASSADOR, JUSTICE MINISTER, OFFICIALLY OPEN MEDIATION CENTER IN CRAIOVA

U.S. Ambassador Guest and Minister of Justice Stanoiu today formally opened a Mediation Center in Craiova supported by both the U.S. and Romanian governments. The Center is part of a pilot program, funded by the U.S. Government, to help establish mediation as an alternative to court trials for many kinds of legal disputes such as conflicts over property ownership, divorce, inheritance, etc. The mediators who work at the Center received training by U.S. experts in the field, and have already enjoyed success in assisting clients reach satisfactory resolution of disputes.

The introduction of mediation offers a number of valuable contributions to Romania. First, it should help to reduce the number of cases that must be handled in the judicial system and thus it should produce much quicker resolutions of disputes. Lifting some of the case load from the courts should also allow judges to concentrate on more difficult cases that must be resolved in court. It also allows them to turn their attention to the actions that need to be taken to further modernize and reform the justice system. Finally, mediation allows citizens to resolve disputes themselves with the assistance of a neutral mediator. All disputing parties can explain their point of view fully and have an opportunity to interact more informally than in court. This often leads to satisfactory conclusions that maintain relationships between the disputing parties.

The U.S. Embassy is grateful for the excellent cooperation this pilot program has received from the Ministry of Justice, the Craiova Bar Association, the Judet of Dolj and City of Craiova, and the many judges of the Craiova region who contributed to the creation of this Mediation Center. The Embassy hopes that the success of this project will lead to an expansion of mediation beyond Craiova, so that many more citizens and judges may enjoy its benefits.