Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms

The EJTN Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms programme brings European judges, prosecutors and court staff together to discuss the most crucial topics on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms at the European and EU level. 

What is it?

Every year, the HFR programme offers a variety of training seminars combining lectures, workshops, case-studies, court hearings and interactive tools.

During the seminars, practitioners update their knowledge on the current human rights and fundamental freedoms legislation and jurisprudence, exchange best-practices, and apply all this knowledge into practical cases with a ‘learning by doing methodology’.

AIM

What’s the objective?

The HFR trainings seek to:

  • Bring together judges, prosecutors, court staff and trainers;
  • Provide participants with an opportunity in unique trainings to exchange experiences and views on their domestic legislation with their counterparts across Europe;
  • Discuss the most recent developments in the field of human and fundamental rights with leading experts and practitioners.

Key Topics

The different seminars encompass the challenges that EU judges and prosecutors face in the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms in their respective Member States as well as in applying relevant EU and European legal instruments from the perspective of the judiciary.

Unique seminars are offered in partnership with the:

  • European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA).
  • Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology (MPI) increasing awareness of and a sensitivity to cultural diversity and applying this into legal cases.
  • Council of Europe (CoE) and European Programme for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) attending a Grand Chamber hearing and discussing the most pressing issues in the field of EU Human Rights with current and former European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) officials.

Activities planned for 2025

Between September and November 2025, several training sessions on human rights, fundamental, and digital issues will be offered to judges, prosecutors, and court staff. These include a seminar on cultural diversity in the courtroom held in in person, alongside online courses on freedom of speech in the digital era and AI’s impact on data protection in judicial proceedings.  

Later in November, further webinars will address digital access to justice and the fundamental rights of vulnerable persons. These events provide valuable insights into the challenges at the intersection of human rights and technology. 

For the full list of activities planned to take place in 2025, please refer to the EJTN Online Training Catalogue.

EJTN Rule of Law Publications

Any questions?

For any queries regarding the Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms programme, please contact Armin Schelle at the EJTN Secretariat: armin.schelle@ejtn.eu