The CCJE President, Judge Anke Eilers (Germany), took part in the 1476th meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, held on 27 September 2023, and presented to the Ministers’ Deputies the recent activities of the CCJE.
Judge Eilers underlined in particular that strengthening the rule of law and promoting judicial independence is more important today than ever. In this respect, the CCJE plays an important role and is an indispensable institution within the Council of Europe contributing to development of common legal culture in Europe based on the European Convention on Human Rights.
Judge Eilers highlighted key aspects of several Opinions of the CCJE, including Opinion No. 25 (2022) on freedom of expression of judges, Opinion No. 24 (2021) on the evolution of the Councils for the Judiciary and their role in independent and impartial judicial systems and Opinion No. 21 (2018) on preventing corruption among judges. In relation to the most recent Opinion No. 25 (2022), Judge Eilers underlined that freedom of expression of judges is crucial for legal culture. Judges should be able to speak out when the rule of law and judicial independence are threatened.
The Ministers’ Deputies welcomed the work of the CCJE as an invaluable contribution to the activities of the Council of Europe regarding the judiciary and in particular its independence. An exchange of views on topical aspects followed, during which Judge Eilers reiterated the CCJE’s continued commitment and expressed her gratitude for the wide support and trust expressed by the Committee of Ministers.
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