The rule of law is the foundation of a well-functioning democracy. In recent years, we have seen an increasing pressure on democratic institutions in Central Europe, especially on judicial and investigative bodies. The independence of the judiciary is critically important, and the events in Poland and Hungary show us that it cannot be taken for granted.
In 2023, together with partners from Belgium, Poland and Malta, we have launched an international project called “Rule of Law in Europe for Lawyers (ROLL).” The aim of the project is to raise awareness among attorney, lawyers and other experts about international standards in the area of judicial independence and to prepare them for possible litigation of cases that could threaten an independent judiciary. Together with partners we will prepare a background study and organize a series of workshops for lawyers and attorney. Another aim of the project is to raise awareness within the professional community about the importance of the rule of law, in the form of information materials and podcasts.
The main topics the project deals with are:
- Institutional independence of the judiciary and autonomy of the prosecution service, including governance structures and procedures
- Appointment procedures for the judiciary and prosecution
- Disciplinary procedures and accountability of judges and prosecutors
- Judicial ethics and accountability
- Freedom of expression of judges
Our project partners are:
- International Commission of Jurists (Belgium)
- Aditus (Malta)
- Wolne sądy (Poland)
In the project we closely cooperate with Helen Duffy from Human Rights in Practice. The project is supported by the Romanian National human rights institution.
FORUM is responsible for the project activities in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
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The Rule of Law in Europe for Lawyers (ROLL) project is financially supported by the European Commission, Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV), under project No. 101084783.
Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
