Judicial co-operation in the European Union (EU) has a long-standing tradition. A common legal framework and the rule of law have been one of the core foundations of the European integration since its early beginnings.

The year 2022 marks a special occasion for the European Judiciary. With the 70th anniversary of one of the oldest institution of the EU, justice and the judiciary proved once more to be at the core of European integration. It is not by chance that one of the most representative artworks at the Court of Justice of the European Union depicts “Peace and Justice” (André Hambourg, 1973).

Co-operation ties between the CJEU and EJTN have existed for a long time. Facilitation of judicial training for EU judges and prosecutors, as well as – since very recently – court staff to suit the training need of judges and prosecutors and to facilitate training portfolios that suit every participants’ needs is the basis of our partnership .

Today, training portfolios of all EJTN units co-operate successfully with the CJEU. Long-term exchanges probably represent the closest common project. Every year, 15 judges, prosecutors, and administrative judges get the chance to work for 6 or 12 months in a cabinet of a member of the Court of Justice or the General Court. This in-depth insight provides a very close contact with the work of the Court as well as the European judicial system in general.

Study visits provide a first contact with the Court of Justice for judges, prosecutors, and court staff. A special focus on the preliminary ruling procedure before the court targets judges and prosecutors who have not co-operated with the Court of Justice before. Additionally, study visits offer the possibility to attend a Court hearing and follow a case before the Court from a live perspective.

Even more detailed training on the preliminary ruling procedure is provided in a specific seminar organised by the EJTN Administrative Law portfolio. In a two-day training, national judges learn in detail when and how to refer a case as well as how to implement a judgment in national law.

Very recently, a larger project has been launched on the initiative of the European Commission and the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE), involving CJEU and EJTN. This project aims at the production of learning videos on the preliminary ruling procedure, addressed both at national lawyers and judges. EJTN contributed by providing six experts from six EU Member states.
By producing publicly available learning videos, EJTN aims at using the co-operation with the CJEU to bring justice and the rule of law closer to the citizens and the general public.

Activities with the CJEU as Supreme Court of the EU will continue to be among the most important activities within the EJTN training portfolio. For many judges and prosecutors, EJTN is the first facilitator of contact. Hence, participants of EJTN trainings often apply for a long-term training later.

We very much appreciate the long-lasting co-operation and we are looking forward to a further thriving relationship. The newly established opportunity to conduct long-term trainings of a full year is a big step towards an ever-closer partnership.

EJTN takes this opportunity to warmly congratulate the Court of Justice for ensuring justice and the rule of law across Europe during 70 years and calls upon the continuation of our co-operation in judicial training for a long and bright future.