Strasbourg, 10 May 2021

The Bureau of the CCJE issued today its Opinion following a request by the Judges’ Association of Serbia to make an assessment as to whether holding office as an elected member of the High Council of Justice is compatible with membership or holding office in a professional judges’ association. The Bureau of the CCJE, in making this assessment, highlighted the relevant standards developed by the CCJE, in particular those of its Opinion No. 23 (2020) on the role of associations of judges in supporting judicial independence, and concluded that there is no justified reason to prohibit, discriminate or exclude members or office holders of associations of judges from holding office as a member of a council for the judiciary (the French translation of the Opinion will soon be also available).