2024 was a key year for the European Judicial Training Network, with several innovative activities taking place and new projects launched.
A more comprehensive review of this year’s activities will be made available next year, when the 2024 Annual Activity Report is published, but below you can already find some of this year’s moments to remember. Please note that the listing below is by no means exhaustive, as all EJTN’s programmes have consistently demonstrated growth and innovation across their diverse range of activities.
The launch of the 2025 Catalogue of Training Activities
The EJTN 2025 Catalogue of Training Activities was made available at the end of last month. This new Catalogue brings together our digital, initial and continuous training activities. The goal of the publication is to help participants and EJTN stakeholders choose the training activities that best suit their needs and learning styles. The available training courses have been carefully designed to address the interests of European Judges, Prosecutors, Court Staff, judicial trainees as well as leaders and trainers working in the field.
The new training catalogue builds on the extensive training needs analysis conducted in January 2024, which took into account the views of EJTN Members, Partners, participants as well as the EU institutions. The 2025 Training Needs Assessment will take place on 21-22 January 2025 – follow us on LinkedIn to receive the latest updates.
A groundbreaking new publication on the Rule of Law and good administration of justice in the digital era
Earlier this year, EJTN launched a comprehensive, bilingual publication titled ‘The Rule of Law and the Good Administration of Justice in the Digital Era’. The publication stems from the expert contributions and enriching discussions at the second edition of the Judges@Europe Forum held in October 2023 at the Siracusa International Institute for Criminal Justice and Human Rights. The forum brought together judges from 25 EU Member States as well as high-level speakers from key European and international institutions, including the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Court of Human Rights, the Council of Europe and the United Nations. Learn more about and read the publication here.
The third Judges@Europe Forum held
Following on the success of the previous two editions, the prestigious Judges@Europe Forum took place for the third time at the Siracusa International Institute for Criminal Justice and Human Right. This year’s theme was impartiality, with important topics such as the principle of equality of arms in an adversarial procedure, the political participation of judges, safeguarding impartiality and the impact of digitalisation on judicial decision-making being discussed, among others.
The primary aim of the Forum is for judges across all EU Member States to share their own experiences, learn from each other during the discussions and increase their knowledge on these specific aspects of fair trial rights. Learn more about this year’s Forum here.
EJTN-HELP crash course on judges upholding the Rule of Law
The long-standing cooperation between EJTN and the Council of Europe’s HELP Programme was further strengthened in 2024 with the launch of an online course titled ‘Judges Upholding the Rule of Law’. The course is based on the prestigious Judges@Europe Forum to which the HELP Programme actively contributed in 2023. The course will be publicly available by the end of 2024, with a launch event taking place on 18 December 2024 in Strasbourg, France.
THEMIS turns 15 years
In 2024, the THEMIS Competition celebrated its 15th anniversary. Since its inception, this prestigious event has brought together judicial trainees from across Europe, challenging them to showcase their skills in moot court settings and giving them the opportunity to deepen their knowledge in pressing issues in EU law. Over these past 15 years the THEMIS Competition has evolved into a platform not only for academic excellence but also for fostering cross-border networks and promoting the exchange of ideas among future legal professionals. But did you know these 15 things about the THEMIS Competition?
The 2024 THEMIS Competition Grand Final was held earlier this month in Naples, Italy. Warm congratulations to the winning team, Team Romania! Learn more about the exciting Grand Final here.
Digitalisation, competitiveness and consumer rights high on the agenda
Throughout 2024, the digitalisation of justice was high on the agenda. The new Working Group on Digitalisation created in 2023, met for the first time and also held a landmark seminar on AI and the Rule of Law together with UNESCO. EJTN representatives also attended a key conference organised by the European Commission on supporting the digitalisation of justice, aiming to discuss elements of the future European Judicial Training Strategy. This strategy will upskill in the use of digital tools and infrastructure, to create a supportive environment towards digitalisation of justice and to build-up the knowledge of justice professionals in the adaptation of substantive EU law to the needs of the digital economy and society.
Moreover, several of the EJTN seminars took place online in autumn 2024, thus boosting opportunities for digital innovation and for increased accessibility. The popular and very successful Lunchtime Webinar series also continued to take place, with a new series of Lunchtime Webinars taking place next year. For the latest information on all activities, check the EJTN Online Training Catalogue.
New digital learning resources were also made available, including a learning video produced in collaboration with ICCA. All our learning resources are available on our website.
In 2024, competitiveness and consumer rights were other areas in which EJTN delivered. Under the Single Market Programme of the European Union, EJTN launched a key project with the goal of enhancing the awareness of non-competition national enforcers in competition matters. This project continues next year. Moreover, several training activities touched upon topics related to consumer protection and competitiveness. Europe’s Judges, Prosecutors and Court Staff had the opportunity to learn about, for example, the protection of consumers in the light of EU Law and e-commerce, and the digital market in competition law. These topics continue to be highlighted in EJTN’s activities in 2025 – visit our 2025 Catalogue of Training Activities to learn more.
New communication and support channels introduced
The EJTN Intranet and the EJTN Digital Helpdesk were made available in the autumn of 2024. These two new channels support the existing resources aimed at EJTN Members, Activity Coordinators and other key stakeholders. Moreover, ETJN launched an exclusive monthly newsletter aimed at Members, Associate Members and Observers, which highlights the latest activities, updates and other important points in a streamlined and timely manner. In 2024, EJTN also boosted its presence on LinkedIn and cooperated with its Members to produce two social media campaigns: one on the 20 year of the EU Accession and another one celebrating Women in Justice.
Existing partnerships enhanced and new ones created
In 2024, EJTN was proud to partner with a number of high-level organisations across a range of activities. These included, among others, a continued close cooperation with the Court of Justice of the European Union in the context of the exchange programme, a first-time partnership with UNESCO that resulted in a landmark seminar on AI and the Rule of Law and further collaboration with the European Commission on the digitalisation of justice.
At the end of 2024, EJTN also became a member of the European Law Institute (ELI). We look forward to this collaboration, which will be valuable in helping us identify the training needs of and produce relevant training content for Europe’s judges, prosecutors and court staff, thereby enriching our training offering.
Looking forward to the new year
The year 2025 will also be a special year to remember, as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the European Judicial Training Network. Special events and other activities will take place throughout the year, with a focus on celebrating the Network’s achievements, connecting with our community of judicial leaders and trainers and inspiring future growth and collaboration.
For a complete list of our training activities in 2025, visit the EJTN Online Training Catalogue.
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The EJTN remains grateful to the European Commission for its invaluable financial support, which makes it possible to carry out a wide range of activities.
