Every year, the Romanian National Institute of Magistracy hosts several groups of judges and prosecutors for one-week or two-week exchanges. Recently, a group of nine judges from Austria, Germany and Poland took part in one of these exchanges.
The first week of the event took place entirely in Bucharest, where participants were invited to visit some of the highest level institutions of the Romanian judiciary, such as the Constitutional Court and the Superior Council of Magistracy, as well as a penitentiary institution.
These visits provided an excellent opportunity for the delegation to engage in extensive exchanges with their fellow Romanian judges and gain a good understanding of the institutional architecture of the Romanian judicial system.
An overview of the Romanian judicial system and specialist law enforcement agencies
The Austrian, German and Polish judges were also welcomed at the Court of Appeal, the Bucharest Tribunal and the 6th District First Instance Court, where they met and exchanged views with judicial leaders including some of the Courts’ Presidents and Vice-Presidents.
A key part of this EJTN exchange was a visit to the Romanian National Anticorruption Directorate and the Direction for Investigation of Organised Crimes and Terrorism. There, participants were briefed on the missions and day-to-day operations of both institutions.
During their exchange, the Austrian, German and Polish judges learned about the Romanian judicial system and compared it to their own national systems. The participants were particularly interested to learn about the different powers given to judges in Romania.
Experiencing the work of Romanian courts first-hand
During the second week of the exchange, the group will move to another Romanian city to immerse themselves in the daily work of a court for one week. Brasov, Cluj, Constanta, Iasi, Oradea and Timisoara are some of the courts that usually welcome EJTN delegations.
These on-site visits provide a unique opportunity for judicial professionals from all over Europe to learn first-hand about the work of their Romanian counterparts and explore their approach to issues such as case management, public relations and professional environment.
Taking part in EJTN judicial exchanges
Are you a serving EU judge, prosecutor or court or prosecution staff? Would you be interested in taking part in a similar exchange and learning about the work of your counterparts in other EU Member States?
EJTN’s call for applications for exchanges in 2024 will be open until 16 October 2023. Applications can be submitted at: https://exp-platform.ejtn.eu
