The ICJ-EI launches a project on Judicial Independence and the Rule of Law in the EU (the ROLL project).
The Rule Of Law for Lawyers (ROLL) project aims to promote independent and effective judicial systems that protect human rights by strengthening the knowledge and ability of lawyers and civil society organizations (CSOs) in national and European strategic litigation.
Judicial independence is under attack or stress in many EU countries. It is indispensable for protecting access to justice and human rights. This project seeks to foster the effective use of strategic litigation to ensure access to judicial systems that are independent and effective. It achieves this by increasing the capacity of human rights lawyers and CSOs, facilitating the exchange of best practices, and increasing the awareness and understanding of the importance of the rule of law and use of strategic litigation to protect and promote it by national human rights institutes (NHRI), lawyers and law students.
At the outset of the project, the ICJ-EI publishes a general Factsheet (Link) on Judicial independence and the Rule of law, launches a Judicial Independence Podcast on Spotify and invites national lawyers for the first Workshop on strenghtening judicial independence and the Rule of Law through strategic litigation.
The ROLL Judicial Independence Workshops
The International Commission of Jurists – European Institutions (ICJ-EI) along with its partners (Human Rights in Practice, Free Courts, Aditus, Forum for Human rights) is inviting lawyers from eight EU Member States (Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Malta and Spain) to join three workshops in 2023-2024. These workshops focus on using strategic litigation in order to protect judicial independence and the Rule of Law in the EU. The workshops are organised as part of the ICJ’s ROLL project.
The workshops will bring together experts and practitioners to discuss experiences, challenges and opportunities related to strategic litigation on these issues, the international legal framework and ways forward to better protect judicial independence and the autonomy of the prosecution service.
Conducted in English, the three workshops are held in person with a possibility to participate online in:
- Brussels on 13-14 June 2023: Institutional independence of the judiciary and autonomy of the prosecution service, including governance structures and procedures. See here the agenda for the workshop in Brussels.
- Malta on 23-24 November 2023: Appointment procedures for the judiciary and prosecution and freedom of expression of judges. See here the agenda for the workshop in Malta.
- Prague on 21-22 March 2024: Disciplinary and criminal procedures and accountability of judges and prosecutors and judicial ethics and accountability. See here the agenda for the workshop in Prague.
The Factsheet on Judicial Independence and the Rule of Law
The Factsheet is a general document providing basic information for lawyers across the EU, not necessarily expert in the rule of law or judicial independence. It includes introductory section on Judicial independence and the rule of law, a section on international law, and a section on judicial independence in EU law.
You can download the Factsheet here.
The Judicial Independence podcast
The ICJ launched the Judicial Independence Podcast on Spotify on 7 April 2023.
The Judicial Independence Podcast is part of the Rule of law for lawyers project (ROLL) implemented by the ICJ, in partnership with Free Courts, aditus, Forum for Human Rights and Human Rights in practice. The podcast series looks into the current challenges to the rule of law, particularly to the independence of the judiciary in Europe.
Throughout the course of 10 episodes of this podcast, we will speak with experts to shed light at some of these issues and will explore ways to protect and preserve judicial independence, so that human rights across the EU can be effectively protected.
Listen to the podcast here.
For more information please contact Karolína Babická, Legal adviser: karolina.babicka@icj.org