EJTN’s 2022 activity report, which recounts the achievements and developments of EJTN over the past year, is now available. Last year was very productive for the Network, with more than 7,100 participants attending EJTN exchanges, seminars and webinars.
New leadership and new members
As the report explains, 2022 was also the occasion for EJTN to elect a new leadership. During its General Assembly, held on 7 and 8 June in Paris, the Network elected Judge Ingrid Derveaux as their new Secretary General, as well as a new Steering Committee and new members of the Working Groups Programmes, Exchange Programme, Linguistics and Judicial Training Methods. The General Assembly also welcomed a new Associate Member: the Italian Ministry of Justice, which is responsible for training national court staff.
Upholding the rule of law
In December 2022 EJTN was invited by the Czech presidency of the Council of the EU to take the floor at the December Justice and Home Affairs Council to present to the EU ministers the EJTN’s activities about access to justice and the rule of law. The Network was represented by Judge Markus Brückner and Ingrid Derveaux, at that time in their capacities of Secretary General and Secretary General elect respectively.
Forging partnerships and promoting international cooperation
Throughout 2022 EJTN organised a large number of exchanges and training sessions with the Court of Justice of the EU, the Council of Europe, the European Court of Human Rights, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, Eurojust, Europol, the EU Agency for Law Enforcement Training, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, the EU Agency for Asylum, the European Association of Judges for Mediation, and many other institutions.
These strategic partnerships allow EJTN to provide the European judiciary with a wide range of training options and exchanges. Moreover, EJTN signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Organization for Judicial Training (IOJT) to exchange information and good practices and strengthen the ties between the two networks.
Launching new projects
In 2022 EJTN also launched new initiatives such as the Western Balkans II Project to support judicial reform in the Western Balkans region and the judges@europe forum to foster dialogue among EU judges on topics relating to the rule of law as well as the integrity, accountability and independence of the judiciary. EJTN also launched the Judiciary Learning Grant Programme, which allows EU Member State judges, prosecutors and judicial trainers to create individualised learning opportunities.
Initial training
In the area of initial training, the AIAKOS Programme for early career judges and prosecutors was entirely organised face-to-face and attracted nearly 900 participants from 21 EU Member States who visited 25 hosting institutions across the EU.
The THEMIS competition for trainee judges and prosecutors attracted 176 participants from 18 countries.
Supporting Ukraine
The Network also organised a training session on judicial training methodology for members of the Ukrainian judiciary. This activity benefited from the expertise of the Bulgarian National Institute of Justice, the Czech and Slovak Judicial Academies, the Dutch Training and Study Centre for the Judiciary, the French National School for the Judiciary and the Italian School for the Judiciary.
Overall, EJTN’s activities during 2022 were particularly broad. They would not have been possible without the unwavering commitment of EJTN’s Members, Associate Members, Observers, Partners and the dedicated EJTN Secretariat staff.
To find more about all EJTN’s activities carried out last year, please check the 2022 activity report here.
