For the European Ministers of Justice, the training of judges can greatly assist with quality justice and, de facto, the Rule of law. This was the issue discussed at their meeting in Luxembourg on Thursday 13 October.
They noted that European training and exchanges did exist in relation to this, and they would like to see greater participation by judges in them. In this sense, they discussed national measures intended to quantify participation, but also to evaluate their impact and effectiveness.
The ministers questioned the link between taking part in these judicial training courses and the career development of judges. Irrespective, they found no correlation between participation and their independence.
Protecting fundamental rights in times of crisis
Furthermore, the Ministers held an exchange with the Director of the Fundamental Rights Agency during their lunch in Luxembourg. The resilience infrastructure for human rights in times of crisis was a specific focus.
The European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, reiterated his view that it was important to establish institutions to guarantee fundamental rights in all Member States. Actors in civil society must also be able to play an important role in defending rights, which is why the EU wishes to support them, including financially. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)