A modern and practical approach to judicial training for court staff and bailiffs in Europe
About the project
Under the Justice Programme 2021-2027, ERA implemented a new training project for court staff and bailiffs in partnership with the European Judicial Training Network (EJTN), the Belgian Judicial Training Institute (IGO-IFJ), the Bulgarian National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the Romanian National School of Clerks (NSC) and with the support of 13 national judicial training institutions and the European Union of Judicial Officers (UEHJ).
Recent studies and reports show that court staff and bailiffs receive insufficient training in EU law. Building on the knowledge and experience gained from the implementation of previous court staff training projects, and following the recommendations made in the “Study on the training needs of court staff on EU law in the EU”, ERA and the project consortium tackled the deficiencies of court staff and bailiffs’ training by adopting a modern and practical approach to EU judicial training and by developing coherent and innovative training packages for future use.
Objectives
- To train ca. 500 court staff and 50 bailiffs by organising 21 interactive and practical legal training activities on EU civil and criminal law matters
- To provide up-to-date standardised training packages to set up interactive seminars for court staff and bailiffs
- To provide advanced training on selected EU instruments in civil and criminal matters, tailormade to their everyday tasks
- To offer stand-alone e-tools for legal English in civil and criminal law matters
- To improve the necessary basic language skills in terms of legal terminology in English amongst court staff and bailiffs to facilitate cross-border communication and cooperation
- To make use of the network of court staff training providers established by EJTN and provide a platform for exchange of best practices, information and knowledge in a practice-oriented way
Methodology
The project dealt with EU civil and criminal law matters relevant for the judicial work of court staff and bailiffs as well as digitalisation. To better accommodate the various training needs of the target groups, reflecting different levels of prior knowledge and experience in applying EU instruments, the legal seminars were offered at both basic and advanced level. Some activities offered legal English language training parallel to legal training thus enhancing the linguistic skills of court staff and bailiffs in legal areas with added practical value. To make the activities more accessible and inclusive, they were offered in various formats (face-to-face, hybrid, online).
The project covered the following instruments:
- Brussels Ia Regulation
- European Enforcement Order
- European Payment Order
- European Small Claims Procedure
- Service of documents
- Taking of evidence
- European Arrest Warrant
- European Investigation Order
- Directives for pre-trial detention, custodial sentences, supervision of probation measures and alternative sanctions Freezing, seizure and confiscation
The training materials for the provision of legal training mainly consisted of case studies covering the abovementioned EU instruments, including the case scenario, suggested solution as well as the necessary background materials and methodological advice for their implementation.
For the provision of language training, two manuals with language exercises were developed by a linguistic expert. The exercises focused on developing four skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening.
Calendar of activities
Series of pan-European legal seminars
The pan-European legal seminars focused on specific aspects of cross-border civil and criminal law matters. They were held in English and were hosted by the consortium in various EU Member States. A fair balance between the topics of the seminars was sought – five seminars dealing with EU civil law, five with EU criminal law and one with legal writing. They were offered at two different levels, introductory and advanced.
Each event had a duration of 1.5 days and was attended by max. 30 participants from different EU Member States.
| 2023 | |
| Brussels 5-6 June 2023 Programme | Introductory seminar Cross-border Civil Litigation: Facilitating the Handling of Cross-border Cases |
| Madrid 19-20 October 2023 Programme | Advanced seminar |
| Trier & Online 7-8 December 2023 Programme | Introductory seminar |
| 2024 | |
| Sofia 14-15 March 2024 Programme | Introductory seminar |
| Vienna 21-22 November 2024 Programme | Advanced seminar |
| 2025 | |
| Trier 30-31 January 2025 Programme | Legal writing |
Series of language training events on European cross-border civil and criminal procedures
In parallel to the organisation of the purely legal seminars, a series of ten English language training events was implemented (five focusing on EU civil law and five on EU criminal law). The legal English training events were conducted by professional linguists together with legal experts. All experts had at their disposal the training materials (case studies and linguistic manuals) specially developed for the implementation of these training events.
Each event had a duration of 2.5 days and was addressed to maximum 24 court staff and bailiffs from various EU Member States.
Partnership
Training materials
All training materials are freely available and downloadable.
EU civil law
Legal package
Six sets of case studies on selected EU legal instruments in cross-border civil litigation have been developed for the training of court staff and bailiffs. The materials focus on tasks relevant to the work of court staff and bailiffs. Some more advanced questions are provided for those who already have a basic understanding of these European rules. Each case study includes the case scenario, the proposed solution and some methodological advice on how to apply it.
Linguistic package
For the provision of language training, a manual with language exercises was developed by a linguistic expert. The exercises focus on developing four skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening.
EU criminal law
Legal Package
Seven modules on selected EU legal instruments in judicial cooperation in criminal matters in the EU have been developed for the training of court staff and bailiffs. The materials focus on tasks relevant to the work of court staff and bailiffs. Each package includes a presentation on the topic together with practical exercises, the proposed solution, and some methodological advice on how to apply it.
Linguistic package
For the provision of language training, a manual with language exercises was developed by a linguistic expert. The exercises focus on developing four skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening.
Instructions to use the linguistic manual (for trainers and individual users).
Linguistic manual with answer key.
Co-funded by the European Union