COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Ensuring justice in the EU — a European judicial training strategy for 2021-2024
Date: 2020-12-02
Institutions: Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers, European Commission
Subjects: EU law, EU strategy, continuing vocational training, in-service training, legal profession, professional qualifications

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 2.12.2020  COM(2020) 713 final  COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Ensuring justice in the EU — a European judicial training strategy for 2021-2024  
 
 
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Ensuring justice in the EU — a European judicial training strategy for 2021-2024 

1.  INTRODUCTION 

The  Lisbon  Treaty  granted  the  European  Union  (EU)  competences  to  support  judicial 
cooperation  in  civil  and  criminal  matters  through  the  ‘training  of  the  judiciary  and  judicial 
staff’1.  Since  then,  judicial  training  on  EU  law  has  improved  the  correct  and  uniform 
application  of  EU  law  and  built  mutual  trust  in  cross-border  judicial  proceedings,  thus 
helping to develop the EU area of justice. 

The  Commission’s  2011  Communication,  Building  trust  in  EU-wide  justice  —  a  new 
dimension to judicial training2, brought about a step change, in terms of both approach and 
scale, in  the organisation of judicial training in  the EU. Whereas the majority of EU judges 
and  prosecutors  responding  to  a  2010  survey3  had  never  participated  in  judicial  training  on 
EU or another Member State’s law, since the adoption of the Communication more than half 
of all EU legal practitioners (over 1 million) have done so. 

The evaluation of the 2011-2020 European judicial training strategy (published in 2019)4 
and annual reports on European judicial training5 show that overall the strategy has achieved 
most  of  its  objectives.  The  flagship  target  of  training  half  (i.e. 800 000)  of  all  legal 
practitioners on EU law between 2011 and 2020 was reached in 2017. The strategy has helped 
to increase the number of training activities, but also promoted new types of activity, such as 
exchange  programmes.  It  has  helped  improve  training  on  EU  law  for  several  categories  of 
legal  practitioners,  especially  judges  and  prosecutors.  It  has  also  built  the  capacities  of 
networks  such  as  the  European  Judicial  Training  Network  (EJTN)  and  reinforced  EU-level 
networks and training providers. 

Building on these achievements, it is now essential that judicial training remains high on the 
EU agenda and is further strengthened. 

The EU is facing a number of new developments and challenges that need to be addressed by 
judicial training, including a deterioration of the rule of law and attacks on fundamental rights 
in some Member States, the exponential digitalisation of our societies and the prospects of EU 
membership  for  the  Western  Balkans.  Moreover,  the  level  of  participation  in  training  still 

1   Articles 81(2)(h) and 82(1)(c) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. 
2   COM(2011) 551 final. 
3   Judicial training in the EU Member States, European Parliament study (IPOL-JURI-ET(2011)453.198). 
4   Evaluation  of  the  2011-2020  European  judicial  training  strategy,  Commission  staff  working  document 

(SWD(2019) 380). 

5   Reports by the Commission’s Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers. 

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differs  considerably  across  Member  States  and  among  justice  professions.  This  may  have  a 
negative impact on the uniform and efficient application of EU law. 

This  Communication  builds  on  the  lessons  learnt  and  new  developments  since  2011.  It 
reflects the results of the Commission’s evaluation of the 2011-2020 strategy and of a wide 
public  consultation  conducted  by  the  Commission  in  20186.  It  sets  out  a  comprehensive 
strategy  to  improve  justice  professionals’  training  on  EU  law  further,  by  extending  policy 
intervention to new topics, professions and geographical areas, addressing the new challenges 
and setting new goals for 2021-2024. 

2.  A FLEXIBLE RESPONSE TO EMERGING EU LAW TRAINING NEEDS 

Justice practitioners must be able to adapt to new developments, including in the area of EU 
law. It is therefore important that a flexible response is brought to emerging EU law training 
needs. 

Judicial training to promote a common rule of law culture 

Respect for the rule of law is crucial for the effective application of EU law and for mutual 
trust between Member States and their judicial authorities. The essence of the rule of law is 
effective  judicial  protection,  which  requires  the  independence,  quality  and  efficiency  of 
national justice systems. Justice practitioners play an essential role in upholding the rule 
of law. They should keep pace with the EU acquis in this area, including the fast-developing 
case-law of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), so they can implement it in 
their  work.  Well-trained  practitioners  and  their  networks  play  an  important  role  in 
strengthening a rule of law culture and upholding the rule of law itself7, with the principle of 
judicial independence at the centre. 

Upholding fundamental rights 

National  judges  and  other  justice  practitioners  are  essential  actors  ensuring  the  effective 
application  of  the  EU  Charter  of  Fundamental  Rights  and  making  the  Charter  rights  a 
reality in people’s everyday lives. 

They  should  receive  dedicated  training  on  the  application  of  the  Charter,  its  scope  of 
application and specific rights such as data protection8, but also on its relation with national 
law and its interplay with the European Convention on Human Rights. Charter training should 
also be incorporated into training modules on various areas of EU law where relevant9. 

6   https://ec.europa.eu/info/consultations/training-justice-professionals-eu-law-evaluation_en 
7   Commission  Communications,  Strengthening  the  rule  of  law  within  the  Union:  a  blueprint  for  action 
(COM(2019) 343  final)  and  2020  rule  of  law  report:  the  rule  of  law  situation  in  the  European  Union 
(COM(2020) 580 final). 

8   See  the  General  Data  Protection  Regulation,  the  Law  Enforcement  Directive  and  recent  CJEU  case  law, 
e.g. judgment  of  8  April  2014,  Digital  Rights,  Joined  Cases  C-293/12  and  C-594/12;  judgment  of 
21 December 2016, Tele2 Sverige, C-203/15. 

9   Commission Communication, Strategy to reinforce the application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights in 

the EU (COM(2020) 711 final). 

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Upscaling the digitalisation of justice 

Judicial  training must prepare justice professionals  to  embrace  digitalisation and the use of 
artificial intelligence10. The developments in this area increasingly influence every aspect of 
our lives. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that justice systems must quickly adapt 
through digitalisation. Justice practitioners need to be aware of the impact  that  digital tools 
and technologies have on handled cases and be ready to use them properly in daily practice, 
including  in  cross-border  proceedings11.  They  need  to  secure  adequate  protection  of 
individuals’  rights  and  personal  data  in  the  digital  space,  in  particular  so  that  parties  can 
access files and attend court hearings. 

Keeping pace with developing EU law 

European  judicial  training  should  enable  justice  practitioners  to  see  the  role  of  EU  law  in 
their  daily  practice,  give  it  full  effect  and  secure  the  respect  of  rights  and  obligations 
stemming from EU law in national judicial proceedings. It is also important that they keep up 
to  date  with  the  development  of  EU  law.  Any  new  legislation  and  CJEU  case-law 
developments  necessitate  training  if  they  are  to  have  the  intended  effects  and  justice 
professionals are to have the requisite knowledge and skills. 

In particular, this applies to the key EU instruments for  cross-border judicial cooperation. 
The  establishment  of  the  European  Public  Prosecutor’s  Office  (EPPO)  also  has 
considerable training consequences for prosecutors, judges and defence lawyers. In particular, 
the  strategy  should  enhance  training  for  these  professions  on  the  EPPO's  legal  basis,  the 
adaptations made to national legal systems and judicial structures, the EPPO's relations with 
other  EU  bodies  and  agencies  active  in  the  protection  of  the  EU  financial  interests  such  as 
EUROJUST,  EUROPOL and OLAF,  as well as the application of the EU legal  instruments 
used by the EPPO in cross-border judicial cooperation. 

In the field of security, combating terrorism, organised crime (including trafficking in human 
beings, firearms and illicit drugs), preventing and countering radicalisation leading to violent 
extremism and fighting money laundering remain key training topics.  

Justice practitioners who are in contact with  victims should be trained to  better support and 
communicate  with  them,  taking  into  account  in  particular  the  needs  of  the  most  vulnerable 
ones12. They should also know how to identify abusive litigation and use the available tools 
to address it.  

The  rights  of  children13,  the  rights  of  people  with  disabilities  and  adaptation  of  justice 
systems to these groups, the specific challenges faced by victims of gender-based violence14, 

10   In line with the Commission Communication on Digitalisation of justice in the EU (COM(2020) 710 final). 
11   Council conclusions on Access to justice — seizing the opportunities of digitalisation (2020/C 342 I/01). 
12   Commission Communication, EU Strategy on victims’ rights (2020-2025) (COM(2020) 258 final). 
13   Forthcoming EU strategy on the rights of the child (to be adopted in 2021). 

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but also equality and non-discrimination require specialised training as well as coverage in 
other courses.  

Securing consumer rights through continuous training15 on both material and procedural law 
is a priority16, as confirmed by the proliferation of illegal practices detected in the course of 
the  COVID-19  pandemic17.  The  effective  enjoyment  of  EU  citizenship  rights  must  be 
guaranteed, including in the area of free movement.  

Training is needed for the large number of practitioners involved in implementing the single 
market  rules18,  including  those  of  particular  relevance  to  business,  such  as  the  rules 
protecting  intra-EU  investment19,  partly  to  ensure  investor  confidence.  Training  should  also 
be  available  on  EU  company  law,  notably  on  digital  tools  and  processes,  cross-border 
conversions  and  company  mergers/divisions,  and  on  EU  competition  law  for  the  ones  who 
need it.  

Moreover,  the  application  of  EU  environmental  legislation  requires  specialised  knowledge 
and more training. 

Equipping practitioners to address new challenges 

New  forms  of  terrorism,  violent  extremism  and  cybercrime,  and  the  COVID-19  pandemic 
have had an impact not only on the lives of individuals and businesses, but also on national 
justice systems, which need to adapt. The pandemic, in particular, has altered criminals’ modi 
operandi, leading to a significant increase in offences involving cybercrime, online criminal 
activities and health20. Justice practitioners have to react to these changes21. Also, new forms 
of  work  create  challenges  in  employment  and  social  law.  New  training  offers  should  be 
quickly  organised  and  made  available,  as  has  recently  been  the  case  for  cybercrime  and 
asylum. 

14   See the International Commission of Jurists’ guide to  Women’s access to justice for gender-based violence: 

http://www.icj.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Universal-Womens-accesss-to-justice-Publications-
Practitioners-Guide-Series-2016-ENG.pdf 

15   Life-long professional training. 
16   This  includes  training  on  the  unique  enforcement  cooperation  mechanisms,  e.g. under  the  Consumer 

Protection Cooperation (CPC) Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2017/2394). 

17   e.g. rogue  traders  resorting  to  unfair  commercial  practices,  massive  cancellations  of  flights  without 

consumers’ reimbursement rights being honoured. 

18   Commission  Communication,  Long-term  action  plan  for  better  implementation  and  enforcement  of  single 

market rules (COM(2020) 94 final). 

19 Commission Communication, Protection of intra-EU investment (COM(2018) 547 final). 
20   e.g. cyberattacks in the health area, trade in counterfeit medical products, fraud involving protective gear or 

COVID-19 tests, and the illegal disposal of sanitary waste. 

21   https://www.cepol.europa.eu/media/news/cepol-issues-fast-track-needs-analysis-impact-covid-19-law-

enforcement-training 

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Action for training providers: 

  Make training on the EU acquis on the rule of law and fundamental rights, as set out in 
the  EU  Treaties  and  Charter  of  Fundamental  Rights,  systematically  available  in  the 
continuous training offer for judges and other justice professionals; 

  Embed  EU  law,  including  the  Charter  of  Fundamental  Rights,  in  national  law  training 

activities, and organise specific training on EU law where relevant; 

  Deliver training to improve digitalisation and artificial intelligence awareness and skills, 

and the efficient use of digitalised judicial procedures and registers; 

  Ensure  effective  training  on  new  EU  legislation  and  case-law  developments,  including 

cross-border judicial cooperation instruments and the EPPO; 

  Focus  training  on  the  protection  of  individuals’  rights  in  the  digital  space  (e.g. data 
protection,  privacy,  non-discrimination,  protection  from  gender-based  online  violence, 
contract  law,  consumer  rights)  and  the  rights  of  specific  groups  (e.g. children,  persons 
with disabilities, victims of gender-based violence, racism and discrimination); 

  Monitor training needs and adapt curricula to emerging challenges. 

Action for the Commission: 

  Support EU law training for justice practitioners in accordance with their needs; 

  Continue  to  cooperate  with  the  Council  of  Europe  on  training  which  includes  the  EU 

Charter of Fundamental Rights. 

3.  NECESSARY COMPONENTS OF PRACTITIONERS’ TRAINING BEYOND EU LAW 

European judicial training should go beyond legal education and support the development of 
professional  skills.  The  law  and  legal  principles  do  not  function  in  a  vacuum,  so  justice 
practitioners need to acquire multidisciplinary competences. 

While it is a national responsibility, training in  ‘judgecraft’22 is central for the efficiency of 
justice, the relationship of trust between justice systems and members of the public, and trust 
between  practitioners  in  cross-border  cooperation.  Key  training  topics  for  judges  include 
judicial  conduct,  resilience,  unconscious  bias,  case  and  courtroom  management,  and 
leadership. 

In  addition,  to  acquire  the  requisite  know-how,  attitudes  and  expertise,  all  justice 
practitioners  need  training  on  non-legal  knowledge  and  skills,  e.g. as  provided  by 
behavioural sciences, psychology, anthropology, economics and cognitive linguistics. 

The  development  of  legal  language  skills  is  essential  to  enable  smooth  dialogue  between 
practitioners,  which  in  turn  promotes  mutual  trust  in  cross-border  judicial  proceedings. 

22   i.e. the set of skills and attitudes of being a judge. 

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Mastering  foreign  languages  helps  justice  practitioners  to  understand  foreign  legal  systems 
and concepts, and increases participation in cross-border training activities. 

The Commission supports advanced and technical legal language training to complement the 
national offer and encourages the blend of language and legal aspects in such training, which 
has proved effective. 

Action for training providers: 

  Embed ‘judgecraft’ and non-legal knowledge and skills in national continuous training 

programmes; 

  Offer  courses  on  foreign  legal  language,  in  particular  for  practitioners  dealing  with 

cross-border cases. 

Action for the Commission: 

  Provide financial support for cross-border training on non-legal issues, when linked with 

legal training. 

4.  INCREASED, BROADER AND MORE TARGETED TRAINING FOR JUSTICE PROFESSIONALS 

A core objective of the 2011 Communication was the overall target to increase the number of 
trained  legal  practitioners  in  order  to  create  the  necessary  impetus.  This  was  in  itself  a 
successful driver of change. However, the evaluation of the training strategy highlighted some 
issues,  such  as  the  variation  in  results  across  professions  and  countries.  This  calls  for  an 
approach  setting  new  and  ambitious  (albeit  differentiated)  objectives  that  are  more 
tailored to the training needs and levels of participation in EU law training of the professions 
in focus. 

Participation in continuous EU law training in the EU (%) 

Professions 

2011 

2012 

2013 

2014 

2015 

2016 

2017 

2018 

2019 

Judges and 
prosecutors 

Court and 
prosecution 
office staff 

Lawyers 

Notaries 

Bailiffs 

24.62%  23.04%  24.00%  29.11%  28.10%  38.03%  48.22%  54.66%  55.70% 

1.75% 

0.90% 

1.52% 

1.32% 

2.06% 

2.39% 

3.23% 

4.14% 

6.40% 

1.79% 

1.73% 

5.04% 

5.28% 

3.54% 

4.11% 

4.88% 

4.82% 

3.36% 

11.36% 

5.75% 

10.37%  15.31%  18.07%  13.89%  27.03%  22.35%  26.03% 

3.57% 

4.02% 

3.12% 

8.29% 

5.67% 

7.57% 

9.55% 

12.77%  16.19% 

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Source: European Commission (EU28, except 2019: EU27 since no data was  received from the UK; data from 
annual European judicial training reports23).  

Overall, more justice professionals should attend training on EU law and training providers 
should improve the EU law training on offer, whether national or cross-border, and whether 
or not EU (co-)funded. This applies to all justice professionals who apply EU law, including 
primarily judges,  prosecutors and court staff, but  also  professions such as lawyers, notaries, 
bailiffs,  mediators,  legal  interpreters/translators,  court  experts,  and  in  certain  situations  to 
prison staff and probation officers. 

Tailored objectives 

Judges  and  prosecutors  are  the  main  guarantors  of  the  proper  application  of  EU  law  at 
national level24. They should remain the main target group for training on EU law. Judges 
apply EU law ex officio, put into practice the principles of primacy and direct effect, and refer 
preliminary  questions  to  the  CJEU.  Prosecutors  need  to  be  familiar  with  and  apply  the 
relevant parts of the EU acquis in the area of justice, including procedural rights for suspects 
and the accused in criminal proceedings, the protection of the EU’s financial interests and the 
new operating rules following the creation of the EPPO. 

Court  and  prosecution  office  staff  are  essential  for  the  smooth  functioning  of  justice 
systems. Some are involved in drafting and enforcing court decisions, the cross-border service 
of  documents,  European  payment  orders,  European  arrest  warrants  and  other  cross-border 
procedures.  This  requires  a  wide  range  of  training  on  EU  law,  which  should  be  precisely 
tailored to  identified needs. The Commission  encourages the networking  of all national  and 
EU-level court staff training providers to share best practices and strengthen national training 
offers. 

Lawyers  play  a  vital  role  in  the  practical  implementation  of  EU  law  in  many  legal 
proceedings, whether national or cross-border,  civil, family,  administrative or criminal.  It is 
also up to them to raise EU law issues in specific legal situations. They need to be abreast of 
recent  developments  in  the  EU  acquis.  It  is  therefore  essential  to  focus  on  training  private 
practice lawyers and on their training providers. 

Notaries  help  to  secure  the  effect  of  EU  law  in  areas  that  are  relevant  to  individuals  and 
businesses, such as succession, mediation, insolvency and anti-money laundering. This should 
be  better  reflected  in  the  content  of  training  while  encouraging  the  use  of  interactive 
methodologies, including for e-learning. 

Bailiffs  are  involved  in  the  cross-border  enforcement  of  court  decisions,  for  example  in 
European small claims and the cross-border recovery of assets. While their professional status 
and  backgrounds  differ,  they  are  court  staff  in  roughly  a  third  of  the  Member  States.  They 

23   See  footnote  5  and 

the  2020  report;  https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/cross-border-cases/training-legal-

practitioners-and-training-practices_en. 

24   All jurisdictions are concerned, including administrative ones. 

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need  more  training  on  relevant  EU  law  to  ensure  that  they  apply  it  correctly  in  their  daily 
tasks. 

Improving other professions’ EU law training 

At  the  interface  between  this  strategy  and  the  European  law  enforcement  training  scheme 
(LETS)25,  it  has  been  useful  to  develop  and  promote  common  training  materials  and  joint 
training  sessions  for  prosecutors,  judges  and  investigators.  In  this  context,  the  fruitful 
cooperation  between  the  EJTN  and  the  European  Union  Agency  for  Law  Enforcement 
Training (CEPOL) is welcome and could be developed further. 

Prison staff and probation officers are a new target audience, as their training is crucial to 
upholding fundamental rights during detention (in particular in the context of European arrest 
warrants26)  and  consolidating  their  key  role  in  preventing  radicalisation  in  prisons  and 
ensuring  the  success  of  rehabilitation  programmes.  They  also  need  to  be  aware  of  the  EU 
policies,  in  particular  on  prisoner  transfers,  probation,  alternative  sanctions,  supervision, 
drug-related legislation and other issues in prisons27. 

Finally,  other  justice  professionals  such  as  mediators28,  court  experts29,  insolvency 
practitioners30  and  legal  interpreters/translators31  increasingly  require  knowledge  of  and 
competence in applying EU law. The quality of their contribution to judicial processes should 
be enhanced by relevant EU law training. 

Action for all stakeholders: 

By 2024, continuous training on EU law should each year reach: 

  65% of judges and prosecutors; 

  15% of court and prosecution office staff who need EU law competence; 

  15% of lawyers32; 

  30% of notaries; 

25   See Commission Communication (COM(2013) 172). 
26   See  judgment  of  5  April  2016,  PPU  Aranyosi  and  Căldăraru,  C-404/15  and  C-659/15,  judgment  of 

25 July 2018, PPU ML, C-220/18 and judgment of 15 October 2019, Dorobantu, C-128/18. 

27   2021-2025 EU agenda and action plan on drugs (COM(2020) 606). 
28   Directive 2008/52/EC of the European Parliament and of the  Council of 21 May 2008 on certain aspects of 

mediation in civil and commercial matters (OJ L 136, 24.5.2008, p. 3). 

29   Council  conclusions  and  action  plan  on  the  way  forward  in  view  of  the  creation  of  an  European  forensic 

science area (10128/16). 

30   Regulation  (EU)  2015/848  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  20  May  2015  on  insolvency 
proceedings (OJ L 141, 5.6.2015, p. 19) and Directive (EU) 2019/1023 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council of 20 June 2019 on preventive restructuring frameworks, on discharge of debt and disqualifications, 
and on measures to increase the efficiency of procedures concerning restructuring, insolvency and discharge 
of  debt,  and  amending  Directive  (EU)  2017/1132  (Directive  on  restructuring  and  insolvency)  (OJ L 172, 
26.6.2019, p. 18). 

31   Directive  2010/64/EU  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  20  October  2010  on  the  right  to 

interpretation and translation in criminal proceedings (OJ L 280, 26.10.2010, p. 1). 

32   Data collection difficulties will be taken into account in the monitoring of lawyers’ training. 

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  20% of bailiffs. 

Action for networks: 

  EJTN — establish a network of all court staff training providers to exchange expertise and 

best practices33; 

  European  Network  of  Penitentiary  Training  Academies  (EPTA)  —  extend  to  all 
Member States34, map EU-law related training needs and formulate an adequate response; 

  Confederation of European Probation (CEP) — work further on training. 

5.  PROMOTING HIGH-QUALITY, EFFECTIVE TRAINING ACTIVITIES 

Providing  judicial  training  is  not  an  end  in  itself.  It  is  also  vital  that  training  is  of  a  high 
enough  quality  to  achieve  its  objectives.  Good  methodology  is  essential,  from  design  to 
implementation and evaluation. To respond flexibly to practitioners’ daily challenges, training 
providers must constantly monitor training needs from the perspective of both national and 
European stakeholders. 

Justice  practitioners  need  exposure  to  diverse  forms  of  learning:  reflective,  conceptual, 
experimental  and  concrete.  Their  training  should  include  a  blend  of  face-to-face  residential 
activities,  e-learning  tools  and  on-the-job  training.  Face-to-face  (including  cross-border) 
training  activities  are  essential  to  develop  skills  and  attitudes,  and  build  mutual  trust  by 
enabling free discussions in a climate of trust and respect. They should resume as soon as the 
sanitary situation allows it. EU-level training should also help pilot new approaches, such as 
hybrid  formats  (combining  face-to-face  and  online)  and  face-to-face  cross-professional 
training on specific topics of relevance.  

Varied, accessible training tools and formats should be used, to adapt to learners’ availability 
and  diversity.  Training  should  make  better  use  of  new  technologies35  to  reach  a  wider 
audience and support the quality of training. This need is heightened by the ongoing pandemic 
and the shift from face-to-face activities to online training. 

Top-quality e-learning and access to e-resources on EU law should become a reality for all 
professionals.  They  should  complement  and  multiply  the  benefits  of  face-to-face  activities 
with up-to-date material and stand-alone learning tools, so as to make the best possible use of 
e-justice. 

National-level activities cannot have the same impact as cross-border activities. General and 
specialised  cross-border  exchanges  of  judges,  prosecutors  and  court  presidents  remain  a 

33   The  Commission  welcomes  EJTN’s  decision  to  extend  its  target  audience  to  court  and  prosecution  office 

staff. 

34   Current  EU  members:  Austria,  Belgium,  Bulgaria,  Czechia,  Germany,  Estonia,  Spain,  Finland,  France, 
Croatia, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Latvia, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Sweden. 
35   e.g.  virtual  face-to-face  training:  interactive  virtual  classroom;  virtual  reality:  virtual  training  environment 
accessed with digital devices; augmented reality: a real-world environment enhanced by computer-generated 
perceptual information; mixed reality: virtual elements added to the reality. 

9 

 
                                                           
priority. They strengthen the common European judicial culture, build trust and promote the 
uniform application of EU law. Exchanges should bring tangible added value for participants 
and multiplying effects in the professional environment. 

All training should demonstrate that it has achieved its objectives. Evaluation should assess 
the  acquisition  of  knowledge  and  skills,  attitude  changes  and  impacts  on  professional 
performance, in addition to trainees’ satisfaction levels36. 

Action for training providers: 

  Follow more closely the recommendations in the Advice for training providers37 and the 

EJTN Handbook on judicial training methodology in Europe38; 

  Organise  cross-border  training  activities  every  year  for  at  least  5%  of  all  judges  and 

prosecutors; encourage new participants to attend; 

  Offer  interactive,  practical  and  accessible  to  all  learners  e-learning  that  is  precisely 

tailored to training objectives; 

  Explore  further  the  potential  of  modern  techniques  such  as  virtual  face-to-face  training 

and extended reality solutions; 

  Make  more  use  of  ‘capsule’  (short,  up-to-date,  tightly  focused)  e-training  to  address 

justice professionals’ immediate needs in the context of a concrete case; 

  Ensure  that  trainers  are  trained  in  exploiting  the  full  potential  of  e-learning 

methodologies; 

  Evaluate  every  training  activity  on  the  basis  of  participants’  satisfaction,  increased 

competence and, where relevant, impact on their performance. 

Actions for the Commission: 

  Where relevant, use a common evaluation form in EU-supported activities; 

  Incorporate a ‘European training platform’ in the European e-Justice portal39 as a central 
hub of information on training activities for justice professionals and a single access point 
for self-study materials on EU law. 

6.  BOOSTING JUDICIAL TRAINING FOR YOUNG PRACTITIONERS 

New  justice  professionals  should  be  given  a  grounding  in  the  EU  legal  system  and  legal 
culture  in  the  course  of  their  initial  training40.  This  should  help  build  their  practical 
understanding of the role of EU law in national legal systems, the rule of law acquis and their 
role  as  European  justice  practitioners.  In  initial  training  (where  it  exists),  sufficient  time 

36   See EJTN Guidelines for the evaluation of judicial training practices; https://bit.ly/2UDmqtX 
37   https://e-justice.europa.eu/fileDownload.do?id=9f252d82-8ef4-4f6e-b562-372f9fa50096 
38   http://www.ejtn.eu/Methodologies--Resources/Training-Methods 
39   https://e-justice.europa.eu/content_european_training_platform-37158-en.do 
40   Training for future or newly appointed practitioners. 

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should therefore be devoted to good-quality training in EU law, fundamental rights, the rule 
of  law,  ‘judgecraft’  and  language  skills.  Training  on  the  systemic  elements  of  EU  law41 
should be standard.   

Action for training providers: 

  Ensure that every initial training curriculum includes modules on EU law, embedded in 

national law training and standalone where relevant; 

  Include  the  EU  acquis  on  the  rule  of  law  and  on  the  EU  Charter  of  Fundamental 
Rights and also  ‘judgecraft’ as standard components  of the initial  judicial  training  offer 
for new practitioners; 

  Provide  for  every  future  or  newly  appointed  judge  and  prosecutor  to  take  part  in  a 

cross-border exchange in the course of their initial training; 

  Make  the  EJTN’s  AIAKOS  exchanges  for  future  and  newly  appointed  judges  and 
prosecutors42 a standard component of the initial training offer. National judicial training 
bodies should assist in their organisation; 

  Make legal language courses a standard component of the initial training offer. 

7.  ENHANCING SHARED RESPONSIBILITY 

Responsibility  for  judicial  training  is  shared  between  Member  States,  training  providers, 
national and European justice professions’ organisations, and the EU. Greater commitment 
is required of all concerned. 

National stakeholders have the primary responsibility 

National training providers, justice ministries, councils for the judiciary and prosecution, and 
authorities of regulated  professions are  all key  actors in  ensuring that  the training provision 
responds  to  practitioners’  needs.  Proper  resources  must  be  made  available,  in  terms  of 
budget,  staff  to  organise  the  training  and  time  for  justice  professionals  to  be  able  to  attend. 
Setting  compulsory  quotas  for  training  can  ensure  that  it  is  seen  as  part  of  regular  working 
arrangements. Information on national and EU-level training provision must be proactively 
disseminated and participation supported. 

Leaders and senior members of justice professions should be involved in the creation of a 
genuine  training  culture.  A  change  in  attitude  is  needed  to  make  justice  and  professional 
bodies  learning  organisations,  in  which  training  is  seen  as  an  investment  and  not  a 
distraction from day-to-day work. 

41   General  principles  of  EU  law  and  legal  remedies,  the  role  of  the  CJEU,  how  judicial  cooperation  works, 

where to find relevant information and forms, etc. 

42   The AIAKOS programme brings future or newly appointed judges from different Member States together in 
a  judicial  training  institution  or  in  courts/prosecution  offices,  to  foster  mutual  understanding  of  different 
European judicial cultures and systems and raise their awareness of the European dimension of their (future) 
work. 

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Networks of EU law experts 

Justice practitioners do not have to master all details of EU law, but to comply with it when 
the  need  arises.  They  should  be  able  to  rely  on  a  peer  who  can  provide  expertise  and 
assistance on EU law in full judicial independence and belongs to a network created for this 
purpose at national level. This is the recognised added value of the national networks of EU 
law court coordinators. 

The unique role of the European Judicial Training Network 

The EJTN is best placed to coordinate, through its members, national training activities on EU 
law and to develop cross–border training for judges  and prosecutors, including exchanges43. 
Its  nine  ‘judicial  training  principles’44  are  becoming  a  global  reference  for  good  judicial 
training. It needs stable and proper funding. 

EU-level actors are essential multipliers 

The  Academy  of  European  Law  (ERA)  and  the  European  Institute  of  Public 
Administration  (EIPA-Luxembourg)  help  to  consolidate  knowledge  on  EU  law.  They 
should boost their training provision further, ensure the quality of their activities and promote 
the transferability of their outputs. 

Networks  of  justice  professionals,  such  as  the  Council  of  Bars  and  Law  Societies  of 
Europe  (CCBE)  for  lawyers,  Notaries  of  Europe  (CNUE)  for  notaries  and  the  European 
Union of Judicial Officers (UEHJ) for bailiffs, also play a key role in improving training on 
EU law. They are essential to the full implementation of this strategy, by ensuring that created 
materials are taken up and re-used among their members and promoting the national rollout of 
training  activities.  The  exchange  of  experience  between  training  providers  from  different 
Member States should enable them to reflect on gaps in their training provision, innovate and 
build on good practices with proven results. 

European  networks  of  justice  professionals  focusing  on  individual  areas  of  EU  law  also 
play an important role as multipliers. 

The Commission’s support 

The Commission will support high-quality training projects with a European dimension, 
through the Justice programme and other relevant financing schemes45. It will support training 
for  multipliers,  including  trainers,  and  foster  cross-border  consortia  of  training  providers.  It 

43   Council  conclusions,  Training  of  legal  practitioners:  an  essential  tool  to  consolidate  the  EU  acquis 

(2014/C 443/04). 

44   http://www.ejtn.eu/PageFiles/15756/Judicial%20Training%20Principles_EN.pdf  
45  These  include  Commission  proposals  for  Regulations  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council 
establishing the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) (COM(2018) 382), ‘Erasmus’: the Union programme for 
education,  training,  youth  and  sport  (COM(2018) 367),  the  Rights  and  Values  programme  (2021  to  2027) 
(COM(2018) 383), a Programme for the Environment and Climate Action (LIFE) (COM(2018) 385), the EU 
Anti-Fraud  Programme  (COM(2018) 386)  and  the  Instrument  for  Pre-accession  Assistance  (IPA  III) 
(COM(2018) 465). 

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will further promote the work of networks involved in the field, encourage their cooperation 
through  conferences  and  boost  the  use  of  modern  technologies  and  the  European  e-Justice 
portal. 

The Commission will support projects addressing EU priority areas, testing new ideas and 
responding to specific ad hoc needs. It will pay close attention to the assessment of training 
needs  and  the  sustainability  of  results.  It  will  require  providers  benefiting  from  EU 
co-financing to do more to ensure the durability of training and other outputs. It will use all 
means  under  the  Financial  Regulation  to  simplify  access  to  EU  funding,  including  the 
application and grant management processes46. 

Targeting justice professionals beyond the EU 

European  judicial  training  focuses  on  EU  justice  professionals.  However,  over  the  years, 
cooperation has been extended to the candidate countries and potential candidates for EU 
membership and to other countries that had expressed an interest in familiarising themselves 
with the EU’s judicial culture47, in order to improve the functioning of their justice systems. 
In  particular,  training  on  the  rule  of  law  acquis  is  needed  in  the  candidate  countries  and 
potential candidate48, as  they must prioritise work on promoting democracy, the rule of law 
and respect for fundamental rights to prepare for EU accession49. 

The  Commission  particularly  encourages  the  participation  of  justice  professionals  from  the 
Western Balkans region in cross-border judicial training. EU support in the region is aimed 
at  ensuring  coherence  and  sustainability,  and  addressing  challenges  on  the  basis  of  a  sound 
training  needs  assessment  and  a  problem-oriented  (rather  than  donor-driven)  approach.  The 
structural  cooperation  of  Western  Balkans  judicial  training  providers  should  be  further 
strengthened,  both  at  regional  level  and  with  the  EU.  Where  relevant,  this  should  include 
consolidating  the  role  of  the  EJTN,  which  is  a  hub  of  expertise  and  could  support 
capacity-building and methodological improvements. 

Further synergies could be sought with EU-funded judicial training initiatives in other non-
EU  countries,  in  particular  in  Africa  and  Latin  America,  as  a  contribution  to  strengthening 
democracy, human rights and the rule of law50. 

Sustainability 

The dissemination, implementation, re-use, updating and adaptation to the national context of 
training  modules,  packages  and  publications  such  as  handbooks  and  guidelines,  as 

46   See footnote 4 (page 44). 
47   Joint  Communication,  Review  of  the  European  neighbourhood  policy  (JOIN(2015) 50  final);  Eastern 
partnership  policy  beyond  2020:  Reinforcing  resilience  —  an  eastern  partnership  that  delivers  for  all 
(JOIN(2020) 7 final). 

48   Commission Communication, Enhancing the accession process — a credible EU perspective for the Western 

Balkans (COM(2020) 57 final). 

49   Council conclusions on the enlargement and stabilisation and association process (7002/20). 
50   Towards  a  comprehensive  strategy  with  Africa  (JOIN(2020) 4  final);  Latin  America  and  the  Caribbean: 

joining forces for a common future (JOIN(2019) 6 final). 

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produced  with  the  support  of  EU  funds51  and  shared  by  national  and  EU-level  training 
providers,  will be strongly  encouraged, as  well  as the training targeting  multipliers, such as 
trainers. 

Monitoring 

The  Commission  will  continue  to  report  on  progress  on  EU  law  training  for  justice 
professionals. It will reflect with stakeholders on how to improve data collection and analysis. 

51   e.g. Training guide on the rule of law for judges and prosecutors (http://www.ejtn.eu/PageFiles/16144/2019-
056-Training%20guide-v5_FINAL.pdf);  Rule  of  law  in  Europe  –  perspectives  from  practitioners  and 
academics (http://www.ejtn.eu/PageFiles/16144/2019-056-RoL%20Manual-170x240-WEB_FINAL.pdf), EU 
environmental law training package (https://ec.europa.eu/environment/legal/law/training_package.htm). 

14 

 
 
 
                                                           
Recommendations: 

  All Member States — establish a national network of EU law coordinators for judges 

and prosecutors; promote cross-border cooperation between such networks; 

  Other justice professions — create similar positions to support on-the-job peer learning. 

Action for stakeholders: 

  EJTN — deliver quality training, including e-learning, for judges and prosecutors, cater 
for the needs of court staff and increase the multiplier effect  of EU-level deliverables by 
boosting its members’ training provision on EU law; 

  EU-level  networks,  training  providers  and  organisations for  justice  professionals  — 
further  promote,  coordinate  and/or  organise  cross-border  training  activities,  including 
interactive online ones, while multiplying the training effects. 

Action for the Commission: 

  Support cooperation between stakeholders to help achieve the goals of this strategy; 

  Award EU financial support to high-quality projects that address concrete training needs 

in a sustainable manner, and to the EJTN through the Justice programme; 

  In cooperation with stakeholders, establish an improved monitoring system. 

8.  CONCLUSION 

This 2021-2024 European judicial training strategy lays down the framework for an ambitious 
set  of  key  actions  to  boost  the  correct  and  effective  application  of  EU  law.  It  aims  to 
consolidate a common European judicial culture based on the rule of law, fundamental rights 
and mutual trust. 

In  order  to  ensure  the  success  of  the  strategy,  the  Commission  calls  on  all  stakeholders  — 
justice  ministries,  councils  for  the  judiciary  and  prosecution,  boards  of  self-regulated 
professions,  European  associations  of  justice  professionals,  national  and  EU-level  training 
providers,  EU  institutions  and  bodies  —  to  commit  to  achieving  its  quantitative  and 
qualitative objectives. 

The Commission will regularly monitor the implementation of the strategy and work with the 
other EU institutions to secure the requisite political support for delivering on the objectives. 

15