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CEP and Catalan justice leaders reaffirm longstanding cooperation
Representatives of the Confederation of European Probation (CEP) met with senior officials from the Catalan Department of Justice and Democratic Quality in Barcelona on 28 September 2026, alongside the opening of the sixth International Training School on Core Correctional Skills. The meeting offered an opportunity to recognise a longstanding partnership and discuss its continued development.
Marc Cerón i Riera, Director of the Centre for Legal Studies and Specialised Training (CEJFE) and former CEP President, hosted and brought together the participants for the meeting. The Catalan Department of Justice and Democratic Quality was represented by Elena Pérez Fernández, Secretary for Penal Measures, Reintegration and Victim Support; Maria-Paz Vallès Creixell, Director General for Probation and Juvenile Justice; and Domingo Estepa Camacho, Director General of Prison Affairs. They were joined by Dr Ioan Durnescu of the University of Bucharest, founder of the International Training School on Core Correctional Skills and former CEP Board member, and Iuliana Cărbunaru, Inspector with the Romanian Probation Service and former CEP Vice-President.
Catalonia’s relationship with CEP reaches back to the organisation’s beginnings. Catalonia participated in CEP’s founding in 1981, and the Catalan Department of Justice and Democratic Quality has been an institutional member since 1984. Over the decades, professionals from the Department have served in CEP’s governing bodies, contributing to European cooperation on probation and community-based criminal justice.
The partnership also has a practical impact. The Department has consistently supported CEP’s international activities, including every edition of the International Training School on Core Correctional Skills, organised with CEJFE. It has also worked to bring this approach into local practice through training for probation professionals in Catalonia.
The meeting highlighted the value of this sustained cooperation: international exchange informs professional practice, while Catalonia’s experience contributes to the wider European conversation. Catalan senior leaders and CEP representatives reaffirmed their shared commitment to continuing this work and to developing further opportunities for training, knowledge exchange and cooperation in the years ahead.
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