Creation of Serbian Judicial Training Academy discussed at OSCE-supported conference
BELGRADE, 5 December 2008 - Establishing the first Serbian Judicial Training Academy is the focus of an international conference in Belgrade today.
The event, organized by the OSCE Mission and Serbia's Judicial Training Centre, brought together judges, prosecutors, ministry officials, civil society members from Serbia and the region, and representatives of international organizations and the diplomatic corps. It was designed to provide the Serbian judiciary and the Government with experience and best practices in the field and help finalize legislation that would standardize training for judicial officials.
"After supporting the existing Judicial Training Centre for eight years, the international community has assembled once again with our dedicated partners from the Government and the judiciary to shape the best possible model for institutionalized judicial training in Serbia," said Ruth Van Rhijn, Acting Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia.
The conference will also enable national and international judicial experts to evaluate regional and European judicial training standards and reflect on the challenges that could potentially impede the implementation of the new Law on the Judicial Academy.
"Selecting the most appropriate and best model of a Serbian Judicial Training Academy will ensure that the most advanced training tools are provided to beneficiaries, be they candidates for appointment, new appointees or judges with decades of experience," added Van Rhijn.
The conference was organized in co-operation with the French National School for the Judiciary, the Canada-Serbia Judicial Reform Project, and the Judicial School of the General Council for the Judiciary of Spain, with the support of CIDA.