News

Gabrielė Juodkaitė-Granskienė, Chair of the Criminal Division of the Supreme Court of Lithuania, and Tomas Venckus, judge of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal of Lithuania and member of the Judicial Council, participated in the meeting of the project group "Judicial Independence" of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary (ENCJ) held at the Austrian Ministry of Justice. participated in a meeting of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary (ENCJ) project group "Judicial Independence, Accountability and Quality of Justice" held at the Austrian Ministry of Justice.

The aim of the project group is to move from theoretical discourse on judicial independence and accountability to the development of practical methods for analyzing the current situation and evaluating activities to ensure the quality of justice in various European countries. It also aims to assess the role of judicial councils in these processes.

"The meeting was extremely useful—it provided an opportunity to share practical experience with colleagues from other European countries and to assess ways in which the independence of the judiciary can be further strengthened and the quality of justice improved," said Gabrielė Juodkaitė-Granskienė, Chair of the Criminal Division of the Supreme Court of Lithuania.

During the meeting, considerable attention was paid to analyzing the results of questionnaires prepared by judges regarding their independence, improving the questionnaires, disseminating the survey of lawyers on judicial independence, and initiating surveys of participants in proceedings in national courts. Lithuania is one of the countries preparing to conduct such a survey.

During the discussions, all participants also expressed concern about the increasing pressure on the courts from politicians and the media, as well as the lack of dialogue between legislators and court representatives.

In addition, issues related to the introduction of innovations in the work of courts were discussed – good practices from different countries were presented, and experiences were shared on how technological and organizational solutions can contribute to the efficiency of the courts and strengthen public confidence in the justice system.

When quoting or otherwise disseminating this information, please indicate the source.

Media contacts:
Tautvilė Merkevičiūtė
Supreme Court of Lithuania
Public Relations Officer of the Office of the President
Mobile: +370 685 84863
Email: t.merkeviciute@lat.lt
www.lat.lt