Summary
of the conference organised by ERA
“The Need for Constant Vigilance: The Role of the Legal Professions in Upholding Democratic Values”
The European Forum of the Legal Professions, organised annually by the Academy of European Law (ERA), seeks to foster dialogue among representatives of the European legal professions, to provide space for analysing and addressing current common challenges, and to facilitate the development of possible common positions.
The conference was opened by Jean-Philippe Rageade, Director of ERA, a representative of the Belgian Council of State, and Wilfried van Vaerenbergh, President of the Belgian Council of State. The opening address was delivered by Ana Gallego Torres, Director-General for Justice and Consumers at the European Commission. All of them stressed the importance of
the legal professions joining forces and of the continuous training of lawyers – and indeed of society as a whole – on these issues.
The conference brought together distinguished representatives of the judiciary, of other legal professions and of related European bodies (ENCJ, CCBE, EAJ, AEAJ, ACA-Europe, UIHJ) to discuss how democratic values and the rule of law can be upheld in today’s increasingly polarised societies. The round-table discussions and presentations assessed the strengths of the existing legal framework and reviewed the role of key institutions such as the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Court of Human Rights, the Venice Commission and various professional organisations working to protect judicial independence and strengthen public trust.
In addition to identifying growing difficulties – possible political pressure, declining confidence in democratic institutions and challenges to the independence of the legal professions – participants also heard important presentations on ethics, accountability and
public engagement.
The morning session started with a presentation by Frans van Dijk, adviser to the ENCJ, entitled “Giving Judges a Voice”. He summarised the ENCJ survey on judicial independence conducted among judges and highlighted elements particularly relevant to the topic of the conference.
This was followed by a round-table discussion entitled “Our Strengths”, which essentially focused on the role of the European legal professions in protecting the rule of law and maintaining democratic values, and on the importance of public trust. The panellists were Simone Cuomo, Secretary-General of the CCBE, Patrick Gielen, Secretary-General of the UIHJ, Maria Gkana, Councillor of the Greek Council of State and representative of ACA-Europe, and Madeleine Mathieu, President of the ENCJ. The ENCJ representative underlined that, in order to explore in greater depth one of the most serious problems revealed by the judicial independence survey, preparations are under way for a future questionnaire on physical attacks against judges.
From early afternoon onwards, short presentations were given on the challenges ahead, the possible reactions to them and examples of good practice in the following more specific areas:
- Declining public trust: legal professions in a polarised (and at times violent) society
(Barbara Porta, Italian lawyer, Chair of the CCBE Human Rights Committee). - How can the legal professions help preserve the resilience of our institutions – the Italian example
(Monica Mastrandrea, judge at the Turin Court of First Instance – Tribunale di Torino). - Ethics and accountability: how to increase public trust
(Marc Schmitz, President of UEHJ). - Public awareness and education: do the legal professions have a role to play?
(Eva Wendler, Vice-President of AEAJ).
Finally, a round-table discussion on the independence of the legal professions and the threats to that independence brought the conference to a close, with the participation of Gabriele Juodkaite-Granskiene, judge of the Supreme Court of Lithuania, Sabine Matejka, President of the EAJ, Walter Szöky, President of E.U.R., and Alex Tallon, Belgian lawyer and Vice-President of the CCBE. The round-table was of a practical nature, addressing responses to external and internal pressure, the resources of the justice system (including remuneration) and the role to be played by lawyers.
It was repeatedly stressed that it is not only the opportunity, but also the duty of lawyers and judges to speak out in defence of democratic values.
It was emphasised that the actors in the justice system and the judicial community have significant clout and are more important than ever; they must step forward in a conscious and proactive manner, educate and train society, and build good relations with the press and the media.
Several speakers also drew attention to the role of the Service Courts for Judges and to the particular vulnerability of this legal institution.
Szolnok, 17 November 2025
Dr Ágnes Hild
Member of the National Judicial Council (OBT)