Every year on 15 July, the global community marks the World Youth Skills day. The day’s purpose is to highlight the importance of passing on to young people the various skills that they might need to meet the challenges of the future.
The European Judicial Training Network is playing its part in this important mission. Through its initial training activities – the AIAKOS Programme and the THEMIS Competition – EJTN is dedicated to fostering a new generation of skilled and knowledgeable justice professionals.
“Equipping tomorrow’s Judges and Prosecutors with the necessary legal skills and giving them the opportunity to connect with their counterparts across borders is a hugely enriching experience for their professional trajectories. Our Network is proud to be able to provide such opportunities through our initial training programmes. Year after year, both the AIAKOS Programme and the THEMIS Competition continue to receive record numbers of applicants, while new national institutions are also opening their doors to these initiatives. We are grateful to our dedicated Members, who make these activities the success they are, as well as the European Commission for their financial support”, EJTN Secretary General Ingrid Derveaux said.
AIAKOS Programme: a bridge between national institutions
The AIAKOS Programme, launched for the first time in 2014, is designed for future and early-career judges and prosecutors to learn and exchange views about different national judicial systems, foster mutual trust, and raise their awareness of the European dimension of their (future) work. Depending on the host country, the AIAKOS Programme takes place in a judicial training institution or in courts/prosecution offices.
The AIAKOS participants benefit from a range of learning methods, including attending hearings in local courts, participating in lectures, meeting experienced Judges and Prosecutors, and visiting prisons, courts, institutions, and judicial schools. As the participants come from different EU Member States, this fosters a sense of European judicial identity and collaborative spirit.
THEMIS Competition: showcasing excellence and innovation
The THEMIS Competition, held for the first time by EJTN in 2010, brings together future magistrates from different European countries to enable them to share common values, to exchange new experiences and to discuss new perspectives in areas of common interest. The competition promotes a forum of discussion on European and international law topics, promotes open exchange between participants, spreads useful theses on relevant topics, encourages the development of critical thinking and communication skills, and promotes and fosters relationships between participants across different European judiciaries.
Divided into four Semi-Finals – all dedicated to a specific topic of law – and a Grand Final, the teams (composed of three judicial trainees and one tutor) will produce written and oral presentations on complex legal topics. This year’s THEMIS Competition kicked off in May, with the Grand Final taking place in December.
For more information on our training programmes and upcoming seminars, please visit our website and follow us on LinkedIn.
