The Vietnam Supreme People’s Court (VSPC) and the Austrian SupremeCourt of Justice (ASCJ) recently signed a memorandum of understanding(MoU) covering enhanced exchanges and cooperation in judicialinformation, judge training and judicial reform.

The MoU was inked following the talks between VSPC Chief Justice TruongHoa Binh and ASCJ Vice President Elisabeth Lovrek in Vienna during theformer’s working visit from July 8 – 11.

At thetalks, the two sides discussed issues of mutual concern such as the roleof the Supreme Courts in their respective country’s judicial and lawenforcement systems, the organisation and operations of the two supremecourts, criteria and procedures for appointing judges, personneltraining, and the Supreme Court’s authority over lower courts.

They noted some similarities along with differences between the courtsystems as well as the structure and jurisdiction of the Supreme Courtsin the countries.

Their court systems aredivided into four levels, which are district-level courts, federal-levelcourts, regional-level courts, and the Supreme Court in Austria. Thereare also the Constitutional Court and the Administrative Court in theEuropean nation.

In Vietnam, the system consists of district-level courts, provincial-level courts, superior courts, and the Supreme Court.

Binh said the MoU would facilitate high-level exchanges andexperience sharing in judicial reform and improving judicial practiceson both sides.

During the visit, the Vietnamesedelegation also held a working session with Yuri Fedotov, the UnitedNations’ Under General Secretary and Executive Director of the UN Officeon Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The director laudedVietnam’s cooperation with the UNODC and confirmed the organisation’ssupport in the fight against drug trafficking and organised crime.-VNA