Over spring and summer, the European Judicial Training Network held four Semi-Finals of the 2024 THEMIS Competition. This year, 35 teams of future magistrates – described by one jury member as “the bright future of the European judiciary” – took part in this prestigious competition to share their perspectives on a diverse range of European law topics, presenting in front of their peers and a jury. The Semi-Finals, focused on four legal topics, served as a vibrant forum for debate, fostering the exchange of ideas, common values and fresh perspectives.
Each Semi-final involved a pre-event paper submission, presentations, interactive discussions and extended deliberations with the jury. Teams showcased their work through various formats, including videos, lectures, role-plays, and collaborative presentations with fellow competitors.
While the 2024 THEMIS Grand Final is still some weeks away, held at the beginning of December in Naples, Italy and hosted by the EJTN Member School for the Judiciary, below you can find the highlights from each of the 2024 THEMIS Semi-Finals. You can also test your knowledge about the THEMIS Competition – how many of these 15 things did you know?
Semi-Final A: EU and European Criminal Procedural Law
Hosted by the Office of the Prosecutor General of Hungary in Budapest, participants debated topics such as domestic and sexual violence, corruption and money laundering, and restorative justice.
Team France was declared the winner, while Team Greece was the Runner-up, and third place was taken by Team Moldova.
Three special awards were also handed during this Semi-Final:
- Best papers: Team Portugal II, Team Germany, and Team Hungary
- Novelty award: Portugal II
- Self-confidence, eloquence and clarity of mind: Greece.
Team France (Rémi Dalga, Maxime Giorgi, Céline Pages, Clémence Vitti) and Team Greece (Maria Batzi, Artemis Kanellopoulou, Lampros Tsogkas, Maria Saiti) qualified for the Grand Final.
Semi-Final B: EU and European Administrative Law
For the first time in 2024, a Semi-Final was focused on administrative law topics. Hosted by the Training and Study Centre for the Judiciary (SSR) in Utrecht, this Semi-Final featured discussions on human rights and EU refugee laws, tax administration and environmental laws, while also incorporating the impact of current technologies like the use of facial recognition by law enforcement authorities.
Team France was declared the winner, while Team Germany was the Runner-up, and third place was taken by Team Hungary (Judges).
Three special awards were also handed during this Semi-Final:
- Best papers: Team France, Team Greece II, Team Hungary (Judges)
- Best performance: Team Hungary judges
- Best speaker: Emmanouil Kalaintzis (Team Greece I)
Team France (Benoît Chambon, Roxanne Delgado, Antoine Godard, Rémi Mentheour) and Team Germany (Eric Belgorodski, Valerie Datzer, Clemens Hufeld, Philip Nedelcu) qualified for the Grand Final.
Semi-Final C: EU and European Civil Procedural Law
Participants in the third Semi-final were welcomed to the Italian Ministry of Justice in Rome. Topics ranged from Artificial Intelligence to platform work regulation, and international arbitration proceedings.
Team Romania I was declared the winner, while Team Germany was the Runner-up, and third place was taken by Team France.
A special award was also handed during this Semi-Final:
- Best papers: Team France, Team Germany, Team Romania I
Team Romania I (Elena-Andreea Ciobotea, Lucia-Francesca Lupașcu, Rareș-Lucian Plășoianu, Artiom Radu) and Team Germany (Katharina Haen, Nils Imgarten, Elena Krenn, Alba Schulz) qualified for the Grand Final.
Semi-Final D: Judicial Ethics and Professional Conduct
Hosted by the German Judicial Academy in Trier, this Semi-final focused on the influence of media on judicial integrity, on the regional diversities in sentencing in the EU, and the use of social media.
Team Spain was declared the winner, while Team France was the Runner-up, and third place was taken by Team Netherlands.
Two special awards were also handed during this Semi-Final:
- Best papers: Team France, Team Netherlands, Team Spain
- Best speaker: Malwina Izydorczyc (Poland I)
Team Spain (Cristina Busquets I Gutiérrez, José Pablo Carrera Fernández, Javier Lopez Lujan, María Clara Mas Valverde) and Team France (Florent Arnaud, Stéphanie Deffez, Marie Denizot, Yann-Erwin Schamschula) qualified for the Grand Final.
EJTN remains grateful to the hosting institutions, tutors and national coordinators, who continue to inspire and support new teams each year. EJTN also thanks the European Commission for their invaluable support in realising the THEMIS Competition.
