The second and third training events for newly elected judges on ethics and integrity were organised in Belgrade in cooperation with the Judicial Academy, with the support of the joint EU/CoE project “Support for the Implementation of Judicial Reform in Serbia”. The training sessions were attended by over 50 judges from the jurisdiction of the Appellate Court in Belgrade.

Similar to the other training events, the discussion revolved around the key ethical principles stipulated in the new constitutional and legal framework in Serbia, the dilemmas arising from the current Code of Ethics for judges, and ethical inquiries encountered in practice. Presentations covering key European standards, relevant CCJE Opinions, GRECO recommendations, as well as Opinions of the Venice Commission on judicial reform in Serbia, were provided to participants and used to foster dialogue. Most of the judges were interested in addressing the matters of judicial independence, the perceived conflict of interest, freedom of expression of judges, and behaviour of judicial office holders outside of courts.

The joint EU/CoE project “Support for the Implementation of Judicial Reform in Serbia” will continue to support the training of newly elected judges to cover the entire group elected during the period 2022–2025. The project remains committed to advancing peer dialogue on the implementation of European standards, and to facilitating the exchange of knowledge and experience within the judiciary, in order to strengthen judicial independence and promote the impact of judicial reform in Serbia.