International Judicial Training: Boosting Judicial Competencies in a Post-pandemic Reality

ended

This project targets gaps in application of EU legislation by national courts, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) member states, thus contributing to the effective and coherent application of EU law. It is led by two highly experienced providers of judicial education, together with two national judicial associations in Croatia (ACJ) and Poland (Iustitia). The project is focused on areas of EU law that are addressing current trends, as well as issues that rose in prominence since the COVID-19 pandemic (such as digitalization). The project focuses on both civil and criminal judges in areas where the Applicants have identified greatest needs. The program will develop two curricula; one civil, one criminal. Both modules will include a component on EU law requirements regarding the rule of law, including case-law of the CJEU and ECtHR, application of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, identification of abusive litigations (“SLAPP9”), the GDPR, and digitalization and access to the various tools developed by the EU or individual organizations. The civil and the criminal modules will then additionally cover other specific important new EU instruments, prioritized by the judges in the region. Ten training sessions will be held for judges from the CEE region. To facilitate participation of non-English speakers, simultaneous interpretation to Bulgarian, Croatian, Polish and Romanian will be provided at various sessions. Three electronic handbooks based on the curricula will be prepared, translated to these languages and disseminated electronically to EU judges en large. The immediate target of 300 participating CEE judges will directly benefit from improved knowledge on application of the selected norms. The increased awareness and application of these norms will contribute to greater protection of the rights of EU citizens. The project will also facilitate the networking and expertise exchange among judges from the CEE region.