The General Assembly of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary was held in Paris
The President of the Judicial Council of the Slovak Republic, Marcela Kosová, took part in the General Assembly of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary (ENCJ), held in Paris from June 3rd to June 5th, 2026. Lenka Porubčanová represented the Office of the Judicial Council of the Slovak Republic. The main theme of the assembly was “Trust in the Judiciary.”
The first day of the General Assembly was reserved exclusively for ENCJ members. The agenda for this part of the session included the auditors’ report on ENCJ’s financial management and use of funds, as well as the approval of membership contributions. The ENCJ Activity Report for 2025–2026 and the proposed activity plan for 2026–2027 were also on the agenda.
ENCJ members unanimously elected a new President of ENCJ, Brian O’Moore from the Judicial Council of Ireland. Also, six new ENCJ Executive Board members were elected.
“Discussions throughout the three-day General Assembly were very lively and stimulating. Project Groups reports were presented, including the main evaluation report of the project ‘Independence, Accountability and Quality of the Judiciary,’ in which our Judicial Council also participated. Members of the various delegations had the opportunity to discuss, from different perspectives, how to contribute to strengthening public trust in the judiciary, as well as issues related to communication challenges and digital transformation,” summarized Marcela Kosová.
The General Assembly was also honoured by the personal participation of the President of the Court of Justice of the European Union, Koen Lenaerts, who spoke on the topic of trust in courts as guardians of European values and encouraged discussion on the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union concerning judicial independence.
ENCJ organizes the General Assembly annually, aiming to discuss strategic priorities, highlight current challenges, and address the overall functioning of the ENCJ network and its future direction.
The outcome of this year’s session was the adoption of the ENCJ Paris Declaration. The declaration emphasizes that trust in the judiciary is an essential condition for safeguarding judicial independence and the rule of law. It underlines the important role played by judicial councils in building and maintaining public trust in the judiciary.
The first day of the General Assembly was reserved exclusively for ENCJ members. The agenda for this part of the session included the auditors’ report on ENCJ’s financial management and use of funds, as well as the approval of membership contributions. The ENCJ Activity Report for 2025–2026 and the proposed activity plan for 2026–2027 were also on the agenda.
ENCJ members unanimously elected a new President of ENCJ, Brian O’Moore from the Judicial Council of Ireland. Also, six new ENCJ Executive Board members were elected.
“Discussions throughout the three-day General Assembly were very lively and stimulating. Project Groups reports were presented, including the main evaluation report of the project ‘Independence, Accountability and Quality of the Judiciary,’ in which our Judicial Council also participated. Members of the various delegations had the opportunity to discuss, from different perspectives, how to contribute to strengthening public trust in the judiciary, as well as issues related to communication challenges and digital transformation,” summarized Marcela Kosová.
The General Assembly was also honoured by the personal participation of the President of the Court of Justice of the European Union, Koen Lenaerts, who spoke on the topic of trust in courts as guardians of European values and encouraged discussion on the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union concerning judicial independence.
ENCJ organizes the General Assembly annually, aiming to discuss strategic priorities, highlight current challenges, and address the overall functioning of the ENCJ network and its future direction.
The outcome of this year’s session was the adoption of the ENCJ Paris Declaration. The declaration emphasizes that trust in the judiciary is an essential condition for safeguarding judicial independence and the rule of law. It underlines the important role played by judicial councils in building and maintaining public trust in the judiciary.
Source of photos: ENCJ
