EJTN at 25: Contributing to a strong Europe of Justice

In 2025, the European Judicial Training Network (EJTN) celebrates a key milestone: a quarter of a century of contributing to a strong Europe of Justice through delivering judicial training excellence, empowering the future generations of justice, fostering cross-border collaboration across Europe and championing judicial independence.

The ETJN Secretary General, Judge Ingrid Derveaux reflected on this achievement:

“For 25 years, the European Judicial Training Network has been at the forefront of delivering judicial training excellence, consistently adapting to the evolving needs of European justice practitioners and ensuring that our training offering continues to uphold the highest standards of quality, relevance and innovation.

Over the decades, EJTN has played a pivotal role in leading and contributing to a range of initiatives and projects, such as the cross-border exchanges programme, the annual THEMIS Competition and a large number of expert seminars executed under specialised portfolios. Through special initiatives, such as the Western Balkans II project, we have built a reach that extends well beyond the borders of the European Union. Thanks to valued partnerships with key institutions, including for example the European Commission, the Court of Justice of the European Union, Eurojust, the European Court of Human Rights and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, we have been able to deliver impactful trainings and strengthen the impact of our Network.

Looking ahead, the future of judicial training is closely tied to digitalisation. While all digital tools aren’t necessarily new, what we are aiming for at EJTN is a complete change of mindset. The digitalisation of justice must be incorporated in all activities and support European Judges, Prosecutors and Court Staff in fulfilling their mission of delivering impartial decisions and upholding the Rule of Law.

This anniversary year is an important milestone in our organisation’s history. It highlights the leading role we play in strengthening European judicial training and contributing to a strong Europe of Justice. It is a moment to both celebrate and to reflect on our achievements so far, while ensuring our training offering remains innovative and ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow.”

Since its foundation in 2000 in Bordeaux, France, EJTN has grown to be a leading authority in the field of European judicial training, with EJTN’s permanent Secretariat established in Brussels in 2005.

The 2000s were transformative years for the organisation. The Catalogue was launched as EJTN’s first cross-border training activity in 2002, the European Commission entrusted EJTN to implement exchanges between judicial authorities in 2006 and the European Council decision affirmed EJTN’s essential role in serving a genuine European interest in training the EU judiciary in 2007. This decade also saw the establishment of key partnerships with institutions such as the European Court of Human Rights and Eurojust as well as the launch of several of EJTN’s training programmes.

At the end of 2013, EJTN was awarded its first operating grant under the EU Justice Programme. This was a strong endorsement by the European Commission of EJTN’s central role in judicial training. A year later, the Council of the European Union recognised EJTN as a fundamentally important actor within European judicial training.

In recent years, EJTN has continued to expand and modernise. New initiatives, like the prestigious Judges@Europe Forum launched in 2022, demonstrate the Network’s commitment to strengthen the Rule of Law across Europe as well as its ability to foster cross-border collaboration and create a multiplier effect at national level. The importance of digitalisation of justice was also recognised early on, with a dedicated Working Group on Digitalisation established in 2023.

Take a look at our history in a timeline format

Looking ahead: what’s to come in 2025

This special milestone achievement will be celebrated during 2025 at opportune moments: first at the EJTN General Assembly in Gdansk, Poland, which will take place in mid-June; and for the second time in October at a special anniversary event, which will take place in Bordeaux, France – the birthplace of EJTN. Other activities related to the anniversary year are also in the planning. These events offer a valuable opportunity to connect with our key stakeholders, celebrate the achievements of the past 25 years and pave the way for the next 25 years to come.

Moreover, the key priorities for the year 2025 include:

Safeguarding the Rule of Law: We equip Europe’s Judges, Prosecutors, and Court Staff with the expertise needed to uphold the Rule of Law in the increasingly complex digital environment, with a particular emphasis on the ongoing integration of EU legal frameworks.

Focusing on the digital transformation of justice: We provide Europe’s Judges, Prosecutors and Court Staff with the digital tools and methodologies necessary to adapt to new technologies and uphold the Rule of Law in the digital era.

Promoting gender diversity: We highlight the importance of gender inclusion in the field of justice through our special Women in Justice project.

Strengthening cross-border cooperation: We create opportunities for collaboration and cooperation that extends geographical borders.

Improving the sustainability and accessibility of judicial training: We are committed to making our training activities and projects as sustainable and accessible as possible.