CEE Judicial Network: Supporting Judicial Independence and Integrity

With the ongoing support from the US State Department’s INL Bureau, the CEELI Institute’s Network for Rising Judges from Central and Eastern Europe continues its robust schedule of activities for a seventh year. The Network engages over 150 judges from 18 countries of the region, and continues to focus on issues that are of priority to the region’s young judges as they negotiate an increasingly challenging environment, complicated by attacks on judicial independence, expanding caseloads, and other external pressures on the profession.  The Network’s most recent gathering was in Prague, at the Institute, in late February, where special focus was given to issues of fighting corruption in the judiciary through the use of greater transparency in court administration and procedures.  The Network’s core working group is also in the final stages of completing a report providing Practical Guidelines on the Use of Social Media by Judges, and continues to edit and expand its Manual on Integrity, Independence and Impartiality of the Judiciary, a compendium of relevant international standards and guidance.  Through the coming year, we look forward to further Network activities, to include webinars on relevant topics, in-country events in Poland (highlighting the need for judicial independence), Georgia (addressing challenges arising for judges from social media), and ongoing cooperation with the United National Global Judicial Integrity Network.  CEELI also continues to mentor Network judges by incorporating them, where possible, as faculty in other CEELI training events.