The Council of Europe HELP course Ethics for Judges, Prosecutors and Lawyers was launched in an online seminar gathering judges from EU member states. The online session was held on 14 June 2021 and was organised by the European Union and the Council of Europe funded "HELP in the EU II" project.

The participants got familiarised with the Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) Programme of the Council of Europe and its online platform that includes a catalogue of almost 40 courses on human rights.

The group was welcomed by Eva Pastrana, Head of the HELP Unit, Council of Europe.

The online seminar started with a presentation of Nina Betetto, President of the Consultative Council of European Judges (CCJE) and co-author of the course, with a keynote speech on the importance of ethics in preserving the rule of law.

Ana-Maria Telbis, coordinator of the EU-CoE “HELP in the EU II” project, presented the HELP Programme and the EU funded project and introduced the participants to the HELP online platform.

Nuria Diaz Abad, the tutor of the course and also coordinator of the Working Group in charge of its development, former president of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary (ENCJ), presented the new online course to the participants.

She will be guiding the participants through the course in the following weeks and provided details on the implementation of the course, presented the materials prepared for the adaptation of the course and also pinpointed some practical challenges concerning the topic. The participants also had the possibility to share their expectations from the course and exchange with their colleagues.

Following the online launch event, all the participants will be enrolled on the course page and will go through the online course. Those among them who successfully complete it will receive HELP certificates issued by the Council of Europe.

The HELP course on “Ethics for Judges, Prosecutors and Lawyers” covers in an interactive way the key concepts and principles, the International and European (CoE and EU) framework as well as the relevant case law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). It is aimed at deepening the knowledge and understanding of professional tools and at developing reflective skills, based on practical examples, to address ethical dilemmas in the performance of professional duties.

The online course has been developed in 2020-21 by the Council of Europe HELP Programme under the EU-CoE “HELP in the EU II” project, in cooperation with several Council of Europe entities/services such as the Secretariats of the Venice Commission, the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) and the Consultative Councils of European Judges and Prosecutors (CCJE and CCPE) as well as the Registry of the European Court of Human Rights. It also involved representatives of the European Judicial Training Network (EJTN) and the Council of Bars and Law Societies in Europe (CCBE).

The course consists of 2 general modules on Introduction, and International and European Framework, as well as 3 specific modules for judges, prosecutors and lawyers, respectively.

The Ethics for Judges, Prosecutors and Lawyers is also available in a self-learning format on the HELP e-learning platform to any legal professional interested in the topic. Those who complete it in self-learning mode can obtain an electronic ‘Statement of accomplishment’.

You can watch a course presentation video at https://vimeo.com/540560904 .

For a comprehensive approach on rule of law, you can enroll in HELP-related courses dealing with fair trial, access to justice (for women), anti-corruption (as of July 2021) and media. All are available at http://help.elearning.ext.coe.int/