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The proposed study program for administrative court judges from the Middle East and North Africa aims to promote a peer-to-peer exchange of expertise and experience between the participants and their German colleagues in the field of administrative law and procedures. During a 5-day visit to the Administrative Court of Munich and the Bavarian High Administrative Court the participating judges will gain a deeper insight into the structures and functioning of German administrative courts. In particular, they will be able to attend oral hearings, which are frequently a tool of reaching an agreement between the two parties and thus settle the legal proceedings amicably.

Special emphasis will furthermore be placed on press services in administrative courts and the accessibility of judicial decisions as means to increase public trust in the (administrative) judiciary: Active presswork can indeed play an essential factor in building trust in the judicial system by informing citizens and enhancing their understanding of the courts’ function and work. In addition, the accessibility of court decisions is an indispensable method to increase knowledge and thus make the judiciary more predictable to the citizen. In this manner access to court decisions improves public confidence and respect for the judiciary and state institutions in general.

The objective of this study trip is therefore to provide the participants with an overall picture, the role and functioning of the German administrative court system as well as the practical significance, procedures and every-day implementation of their press work and public relations. Moreover, professional relations between the participating judges from the region and Germany may be formed, supporting future communication and exchange between the respective judges, thus consolidating networks between the courts in Germany and in the MENA region. In that way it aims to contribute building networks between the administrative courts of the region, to increase expertise and comparative capacities in the region and in Germany, and to strengthen the administrative court system, which is at the core of the concept of the Rule of Law.