An international group of 30 lawyers from 24 EU countries attended the launch of the Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) Programme course on Ethics for Judges, Prosecutors and Lawyers.

This cross-border launch, held on 20 October in Strasbourg, was organised in cooperation with the Council of Bars and Law Societies in Europe (CCBE), within the framework of the EU-CoE project “HELP in the EU III”. The event was funded under the European Union’s Justice Programme (2021-2027). 

The group was welcomed by Eva Pastrana, Head of the Justice and Human Rights Training Division for the Council of Europe, and Panagiotis Perakis, First Vice-President of the CCBE. Both emphasised the importance of ethics for legal professionals and the crucial role they play for society, and welcomed the fruitful cooperation between the CoE and the CCBE.

Jean-Louis Joris, Expert of the Deontology Committee of the CCBE gave an insightful overview of the rules of the CCBE Model Code of Conduct.

Raffaele Sabato, Judge at the European Court of Human Rights, delivered a key-note speech on the importance of ethics in preserving the rule of law, providing food for thought for the participants to further explore the topic during the implementation of the course.

Eva Massa-Arranz, the course HELP tutor, brought the audience to the heart of the subject through the presentation of a case study that aroused keen interest among the participants and gave rise to a lively debate, exploring the difference of approach in the various national systems and expanding their field of reflection and knowledge.

The participants were introduced to the EU-CoE “HELP in the EU III” project, as well as to the Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) Programme and its online platform, that includes a catalogue of over 45 courses on human rights.

The tutor further presented the course page, providing attendees with a detailed explanation of its structure, the additional materials and main aspects of its implementation.

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

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The HELP online course on Ethics for Judges, Prosecutors and Lawyers was developed in 2020-2021 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), the Consultative Councils of the European Judges and Prosecutors (CCJE and CCPE) and the Registry of the European Court of Human Rights. Representatives of the European Judicial Training Network (EJTN) and the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) also took part in the development of the course.

The course offers a comprehensive curriculum which covers in an interactive way the key concept and principles, the International and European (CoE and EU) framework as well as the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). Read Course Brief

The online course is available on the Council of Europe HELP e-learning platform, in self-learning format, in 14 languages. It takes 9 hours to complete and participants who finalise the course can generate an electronic Statement of Accomplishment.