Congress of the European Association of Judges and Conference in the Senate of Poland

On April 25-27, 2024, the annual congress of the European Association of Judges (EAJ) was held in Warsaw.
The Congress was attended by delegates from the NGO “Association of Judges of Ukraine”, in particular Vice President of the Association of Judges of Ukraine Olena Yevtushenko and Judge of the Podolsk District Court of Kyiv Marina Shakhovnina.

On April 25, 2024, the conference “March of 1000 mantles for the best Europe” was held in the Senate of Poland. It was organized by Polish judges with the support of the Polish Senate. The purpose of the event was to discuss the large-scale action “March 1000 Mantle”, which took place on January 11, 2020.

Judges, lawyers and other representatives of the legal community took to the streets to express support for the principle of judicial independence. They were joined by colleagues from 22 European countries, demonstrating international solidarity. It was a powerful example of how the professional community can come together to defend its values, despite political pressure and threats. The action showed the importance of solidarity and the fight for justice and the rule of law, became a symbol of the protection of the independence of the judiciary in Poland and a reminder of the need to respect democratic principles.

The UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of the judiciary supported the appeal of the Presidential Committee of the International Association of Judges to establish January 11 as the “International Day of Independence of Judges” in honor of the “March of 1000 Mantles”.

Main issues and decisions of the Congress of the European Association of Judges

On April 26, 2024, the Congress of the European Association of Judges was held. The event was attended by IAJ President Douro Cessa, IAJ First Vice President Walter Barone, EAS President Michael Schoberg, EAS Vice-Presidents and EAS Council Members Sabine Matejka and Roland Kempfle, Honorary President José Manuel Igreja Matos, as well as delegates from 38 member associations of the European Judges Association.

During the Congress, the following issues were discussed:

• Vice-President Kempfle spoke about the activities of the European Judicial Training Network (EJTN), which called on judges to submit proposals for their programmes.
• Vice President Matejka announced the holding of a forum of legal professions in November 2024 in a hybrid format on “Improving the administration of justice through innovation”.
• President of IAJ Douro Sessa noted that the CRC is actively studying the situation in the Polish judicial system, in particular the issue of disciplinary proceedings against judges and lustration.

The Assembly adopted resolutions on the problems of the judiciary in Europe:

• Hungary — on the proper remuneration of judges as a guarantee of their independence.
• Italy — on the involvement of the judicial community in the discussion of amendments to the Constitution regarding the activities of the judiciary.
• Slovenia — on the implementation of the decision of the Constitutional Court on the proper remuneration of judges.
• Spain - on the prohibition of interference of parliament and politicians in the activities of the judiciary.

Initiatives on the situation with the former President of the Association of Judges of Turkey Murat Arslan were also considered, in particular a call for his dismissal and an appeal to the Minister of Justice of Turkey demanding a fair trial of his case.

The Congress paid special attention to the attractiveness of the judicial career, which depends on proper remuneration, and the independence of the judiciary as the basis of effective justice and trust in the judicial system.