TRIIAL 2
TRust, Independence, Impartiality and Accountability of Legal professionals under the EU Charter
ABOUT
The project is dedicated to providing training activities and tools aimed at familiarizing judges, prosecutors, and lawyers with the European concepts of independence, impartiality, and accountability, as well as the principles of mutual trust and mutual recognition in the justice field. It also focuses on protecting the freedom of expression of justice professionals.
Through 12 cross-border trainings and the development of an e-repository of training materials, the project seeks to enhance the contribution of legal professionals to the protection of fundamental rights and the European rule of law. It also aims to establish a network of professionals for exchanging views on rule of law-related issues and updating the CJC database with new case law.
By disseminating rule of law and fundamental rights standards, the project benefits not only justice professionals but also EU citizens, civil society, national legislators, and EU policymakers. The expected results include an increased ability of legal professionals to promote the European rule of law in their everyday work and the fostering of cross-sectoral and cross-border cooperation in its promotion.
THE LEADERSHIP OF THE PROJECT
Gábor Halmai EUI Project Director. Professor of Comparative Constitutional Law
Madalina Moraru EUI Scientific work in WPs 2- 5. Senior Researcher on EU law training for legal professionals.
Federica Casarosa EUI Scientific work in WP2-5. Professor on Judicial Cooperation
THE OBJECTIVES AND PRIORITIES
TRIAL 2 aims at assisting justice professionals in the response to the current rule of law crisis by raising awareness of the legal tools available to them and their enforceability. It thus contributes to bridging the gap between rule of law benchmarks and their enforcement mechanisms by clarifying the standards developed by the CJEU and ECtHR and the relevant EU (hard and soft) legal instruments.
TRIIAL 2 will thus contribute to raising the awareness of judges, prosecutors, and lawyers of their roles for the preservation and enhancement of judicial independence and mutual trust as essential requirements for the rule of law across the EU. In doing so, TRIIAL 2 responds to the objectives of the European judicial training strategy for 2021-2024: upholding fundamental rights; keeping pace with the development of EU law; equipping legal professions to address new challenges; raising the percentage of trained lawyers, as one of the categories of legal professionals less benefiting of EU funded training; and the priority of the call of legal training on judicial independence, the RoL and fundamental rights.
WORKSHOPS
These objectives will be addressed by 12 online, hybrid and in-person training events that will involve judges, lawyers and prosecutors in a mutual exchange of knowledge in a transnational context. These activities will enhance the capacity of the 3 categories of justice professionals targeted by the Project to assess and tackle fundamental rights and RoL issues.
JUSTIN will co-organise a transnational workshop Rule of Law Requirements of Judicial Self-Governance: The Role of Judicial Councils and Court Presidents.
This upcoming cross-border workshop will discuss the powers, independence, and accountability of two key actors in judicial governance: judicial councils and court presidents. It will address the evolving requirements for the institutional setup of judicial councils and provide insights into the latest supranational and domestic case law. The workshop will also explore the distinct roles of chief justices and lower court presidents, examining their responsibilities and the dual nature of their interactions with external actors and the judiciary. Attendees will gain valuable knowledge and insights to enhance their understanding of judicial governance dynamics.
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Partners
- European University Institute (EUI) – leading partner of the project
- Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE)
- Institute for Law and Society (INPRIS)
- Italian School for the Magistracy (SSM)
- Lisbon Centre for Research in Public Law (CIDP)
- National Association of the Romanian Bars (UNBR)
- University of Florence (UNIFI)
- University of Gdansk (UG)
- University of Ljubjana (UL)
- Masaryk University (MUNI)
- University of Pompeu Fabra (UPF)
Advisory Board
- Petros Alikakos, European Judicial Training Network
- Markus Thoma, European Association of Administrative Judges
- Paulie Girerd, Ecole National de Magistrature
- Mariarosaria Guglielmi, MEDEL
- Dragoş Călin, Asociaţia Forumul Judecătorilor din România
- Laura Carlson, European Women Lawyers Association
This project was funded by the European Union’s Justice Programme (2014-2020).
