Resolution on judicial training - court coordinators

The European Parliament adopted a resolution, tabled by the Committee on Legal Affairs, on judicial training - court coordinators.

Recalling that there can be no excuse for ignorance of European law on the part of national judges, the resolution notes that the increase in the number of Member States as well as the mounting burden on the European Court of Justice require: (i) that national courts facilitate speedy and effective access to justice, and (ii) cost-effective means of improving the training of judges and their access to the law must be found.

Parliament calls on the Commission to sponsor national court coordinators of European law and the interconnection of national networks of court coordinators. The main function of such a network would be to enable judges to confer readily in their day-to-day work with their counterparts in other Member States on such matters as the interpretation of particular words in the applicable European law in a secure digital environment (through a specially created social medium or via the e-justice portal). Members consider that these ‘circles of coherence’ would make for greater uniformity in the application of EU law while reducing the number of references for preliminary rulings.

Members also draw attention to the potential benefits for the economy in developing and exploiting e-learning and new technologies especially search engines.

To achieve mutual confidence, Parliament considers that the professional development of lawyers should emphasise the need for common standards of professional ethics, for the judiciary to be independent and impartial and for an approach to European regulation that is respectful of diversity.

Parliament goes on to suggest that the Commission organise a forum in the summer of 2013 – a ‘Congress of Messina for building a European judicial culture’ – at which judges can hold discussions on recent areas of legal controversy. Such a forum could afford a historic opportunity to discuss judicial training policy and the future of legal education in Europe.

Lastly, Parliament draws attention to its resolutions of17 June 2010 and 14 March 2012, and calls on the Commission to expedite the award of contracts under the pilot project on judicial training proposed by Parliament in 2011.