Abstract
This paper aims to show the importance of the European judicial associations and organisations of judges in the protection and safeguarding the judicial independence. For this reason, first, the idea and the importance of the judicial independence are presented. Then, the activities of the judicial associations and organisations of judges on the European level in the field of the judicial independence are discussed. The special attention is paid to the judicial training on the European level and its importance in promoting the idea of the rule of law and the judicial independence.
Grzegorz Borkowski is Judge of the District Court in Radzyń Podlaski, seconded to Regional Court Warszawa-Praga in Warsaw, former Head of Office in National Council of Judiciary.
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- 1.
http://www.judiciarymalta.gov.mt/file.aspx?f=650, Accessed 7 Apr 2019.
- 2.
This goes in line with the Code of Ethics for Members of the Judiciary specifically provides in Rule 27 that “Members of the Judiciary shall have the right to form their own professional association in order to safeguard their rights and interests, and individual members of the Judiciary shall be entitled to choose freely whether or not to be members of such a professional association. They shall also have the right to affiliate, whether through such professional association or individually, with other associations which may better attain or ensure the aims which their association aspires to.” See: http://www.judiciarymalta.gov.mt/the-association. Accessed 7 Apr 2019.
- 3.
Magistrats Européens pour la Démocratie et les Libertés.
- 4.
Michelini (2018), p. 184.
- 5.
Beijing Statement of Principles of the Independence of the Judiciary in the LAWASIA Region, paragraph 9. See also the Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Fair Trial and Legal Assistance in Africa, Principle A, paragraph 4 (t): “Judicial officers shall be free to form and join professional associations or other organizations to represent their interests, to promote their professional training and to protect their status”.
- 6.
Brunson and Schmucker (2016), p. 196.
- 7.
See more: Borkowski (2014), pp. 5–20, available at: http://journals.pan.pl/Content/93315/mainfile.pdf?handler=pdf. Accessed 7 Apr 2019.
- 8.
The issue of judges’ membership in other than “purely” judicial associations, such as e.g. Masonic lodge, is beyond the scope of this paper. See judgments: Maestri v. Italy [GC §§37-42] and N.F. v. Italy (§ 31) as well as Schabas (2015), p. 511.
- 9.
See a detailed study by Kuijer (2004), pp. 203–303.
- 10.
See judgments: Parlov-Tkalcic v. Croatia, § 86; Daktaras v. Lithuania, § 36; Moiseyev v. Russia, § 184.
- 11.
See judgment Şahiner v. Turkey, § 44.
- 12.
Clarke v. the United Kingdom (dec.).
- 13.
The Horizon Institute ORG. (2015) https://www.thehorizoninstitute.org/usr/library/documents/main/paper-from-horizon-institute-on-associations-of-judges-in-different-countries-.pdf. Accessed 7 Apr 2019.
- 14.
See EJTN web-site: http://www.ejtn.eu/. Accessed 7 Apr 2019.
- 15.
The author had the honour to be the first Chair of HELP’s Consultative Board in 2014–2016: https://www.coe.int/en/web/help/help-consultative-board. Accessed 7 Apr 2019.
- 16.
https://www.coe.int/en/web/help/home?desktop=true. Accessed 7 Apr 2019.
- 17.
State of Democracy, Human Rights and the Rule of Law. Role of Institutions, threats to institutions. Report by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe 2018, p. 13, available at: https://rm.coe.int/state-of-democracy-human-rights-and-the-rule-of-law-role-of-institutio/168086c0c5. Accessed 7 Apr 2019.
- 18.
http://www.iojt.org/About-Us.aspx. Accessed 7 Apr 2019.
- 19.
http://www.iojt.org/~/media/Microsites/Files/IOJT/Microsite/2017-Principles.ashx. Accessed 7 Apr 2019.
- 20.
See: http://stowarzyszenieholda.pl/projekty/tydzien-konstytucyjny/. Accessed 7 Apr 2019.
- 21.
See the Justice Defend Committee Report: A Country That Punishes (2019) regarding the disciplinary proceedings against judges and prosecutors in Poland at: https://komitetobronysprawiedliwosci.pl/app/uploads/2019/02/Raport-KOS_eng.pdf. Accessed 7 Apr 2019.
- 22.
http://www.iaj-uim.org/regional-groups/. Accessed 7 Apr 2019.
- 23.
See e.g. the common Statement of Platform EAJ, AEAJ, MEDEL and J4J on the unlawful sentence against Murat Arslan, Resolutions on Poland and Serbia (both dated May 2018) or the Open Letter on Poland – available at: https://www.iaj-uim.org/document-author/group-europe-eaj/?orderby=title&order=asc%2F. Accessed 7 Apr 2019.
- 24.
https://www.iaj-uim.org/iuw/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Statuto-Giudice-EAJ.pdf. Accessed 7 Apr 2019.
- 25.
See e.g. Statement on the judiciary in Romania (9th March 2019), Letter to Frans Timmermans about the disciplinary proceedings against Judges in Poland (21 February 2019) or Resolution on safeguarding the independence of the Romanian judicial system from secret and unlawful interference of the intelligence agencies (24th May 2018)- all available at: https://medelnet.eu/index.php/activities/an-independent-judiciary/445-resolution-on-safeguarding-the-independence-of-the-romanian-judicial-system-from-secret-and-unlawful-interference-of-the-intelligence-agencies. Accessed 7 Apr 2019.
- 26.
See e.g. Report on judicial independence and impartiality in the Council of Europe member States in 2017 (7th February 2018), available at: https://rm.coe.int/2017-report-situation-ofjudges-in-member-states/1680786ae1. Accessed 7 Apr 2019.
- 27.
See more at: https://www.coe.int/en/web/ccje/home. Accessed 7 Apr 2019 and Borkowski (2016), pp. 203–218, available at: http://www.krs.pl/admin/files/gn%20%20eng%2020160505.pdf. Accessed 7 Apr 2019.
- 28.
See for example: Morice v. France, Baka v. Hungary, Harabin v. Slovakia.
- 29.
Detailed data available on the Network website: https://www.encj.eu.
- 30.
See more in: Pałka (2016), pp. 187–202, available at: http://www.krs.pl/admin/files/gn%20%20eng%2020160505.pdf. Accessed 7 Apr 2019.
- 31.
See: https://www.encj.eu/articles/96. Accessed 7 Apr 2019.
- 32.
Available at: https://www.encj.eu/node/495. Accessed 7 Apr 2019.
- 33.
Available at: https://www.aeaj.org/. Accessed 7 Apr 2019.
- 34.
See a moving statement of Mr. Diego García-Sayán (UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers) on the topic of Mr. Murat Arslan’s trial available at AEAJ web-site: https://www.aeaj.org/media/files/2019-01-23-51-statement%20conviction.pdf. Accessed 7 Apr 2019.
- 35.
See for example GEMMI- the European judicial organisation promoting mediation etc.
- 36.
See the EN web-site: https://www.iustitia.pl/en/. Accessed 7 Apr 2019.
- 37.
See note 4, pp. 184–185.
- 38.
See Laffranque (2014), p. 127.
References
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Justice Defend Committee Report: A Country That Punishes (2019). Retrieved April 7, 2019, from https://komitetobronysprawiedliwosci.pl/app/uploads/2019/02/Raport-KOS_eng.pdf
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Borkowski, G. (2019). The Role of the European Associations and Organisations of Judges in Promoting and Safeguarding the Judicial Independence. In: Pinto de Albuquerque, P., Wojtyczek, K. (eds) Judicial Power in a Globalized World. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20744-1_5
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