Representatives of the National Institute of Justice paid a study visit to the Academy of European Law (ERA)

Between January 20-24, 2025, decision-makers from judicial training institutions and lawyers' associations from the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine made a study visit to the Academy of European Law (ERA) in Trier, Germany. The National Institute of Justice was represented by Ecaterina Popa, Interim Director, and Olga Marandici, advisor to the INJ Director.

The purpose of the visit was to become familiar with the activity and mission of ERA and to develop a dialogue regarding the training needs of professionals in the field of law. At the same time, in the context of the process of accession to the European Union, the possibility of creating a common strategy for judicial training, complementary to existing initiatives at the national level, was addressed.  

The program included plenary sessions, workshops and meetings adapted to the specifics of each participating country and the particularities of the legal professions. The discussions focused on essential legal topics: the relationship between EU and national law, human rights legislation and the rule of law, aspects of civil, criminal, competition, environmental law, etc. In this context, ERA management has shown openness to offer INJ beneficiaries online training opportunities starting from the first quarter of this year.

During the visit, there were also exchanges of experiences with representatives of the European Commission, especially with experts from the General Directorate for Justice and Consumers (DG JUST) and the General Directorate for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR).

Also, the participants had the opportunity to travel to the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg, where they attended a court session and had discussions with the magistrates of the court, in particular with Octavia Spineanu-Matei, judge at the CJEU, ex-director of the National Institute of the Magistracy in Romania.

The study visit of INJ representatives was organized by the Academy of European Law.

Note: ERA's direct access electronic resources can be accessed on the INJ website, at the section "Legal Information Center", in the column "Electronic Resources".