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The annual Conference of Presidents of Supreme Courts of Central and Eastern European Countries, organized this year by the Supreme Court of the Republic of North Macedonia and the Central and Eastern European Law Initiative (CEELI Institute) in Skopje (Republic of North Macedonia), traditionally brought together presidents of supreme courts, judges of the highest judicial instances, representatives of judicial governance bodies, and international organizations from Central and Eastern European countries for an open discussion on global issues that currently shape the future of justice in Europe.
Among these topics were:
During the opening of the conference, welcoming remarks were delivered by the President of the Supreme Court of the Republic of North Macedonia, Afrim Fidani, Senior United States District Judge David Campbell, Executive Director of the CEELI Institute Robert Strang, representative of the EU project “Support for the Rule of Law” Grzegorz Borkowski, President of the Judicial Council of the Republic of North Macedonia Aleksandar Kambovski, and the President of the Republic of North Macedonia Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova.
In the first session of the event, titled “Public Trust in the Judiciary”, participants supported the thesis that the true measure of a judicial system’s success is not only the quality of court decisions but also the level of public trust. In particular, participants from Central and Eastern European countries shared their experiences in organizing open days, educational programs for schoolchildren and students, cooperation with journalists, and the active use of social media to promote the activities of the judiciary.
Joining the discussion, the President of the Supreme Court of Ukraine Stanislav Kravchenko reported that, according to a survey in Ukraine, more than 70% of citizens who directly participated in court proceedings consider the decisions of Ukrainian courts to be lawful and well-reasoned. At the same time, the overall level of public trust in the judicial system remains significantly lower. Therefore, Stanislav Kravchenko emphasized the need for a proper analysis of statistical data and the differentiation of survey results among different categories of respondents.
The President of the Supreme Court paid particular attention to issues of communication with society and the media. According to him, there is a significant gap between the actual work of the courts and its public perception, which can only be bridged through systematic and professional communication.
The main topic of the second session of the conference was the modern challenges to judicial independence, including institutional independence, the role of judicial self-governance bodies, and issues of financial autonomy of the judiciary. In particular, the President of the Supreme Court Stanislav Kravchenko positively noted the constitutional changes of 2016 and the increased role of the High Council of Justice in the process of appointing judges. At the same time, the current procedures for the selection of judges in Ukraine are too complex and lengthy. The discussion also focused on preventing the use of disciplinary complaints as a tool of pressure on judges.
The third session addressed the use of the practice of European courts (the Court of Justice of the EU and the ECtHR) at the national level, taking into account the principles of subsidiarity and complementarity in the interaction between pan-European and national courts. Among the challenges, representatives of the judicial systems of Central and Eastern European countries highlighted problems with the translation of decisions of international courts and the need to ensure proper access for judges to the current practice of international judicial bodies.
Stanislav Kravchenko presented Ukraine’s experience in implementing the practice of the European Court of Human Rights and the role of the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court in reviewing court decisions following the establishment of violations of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms by the ECtHR. He also mentioned a joint project of Ukraine, Romania, and Turkey on translating Court decisions into national languages. Thanks to the efforts of the ECtHR and the Supreme Court, the Ukrainian-language version of the ECtHR Knowledge Sharing Platform is now operational, which has significantly improved the accessibility of knowledge about the Court’s practice in Ukraine.
The current and future use of AI in judicial proceedings and court administration was discussed during the fourth session of the conference. Participants shared views that AI can significantly increase the efficiency of justice by automating certain processes, analyzing large volumes of information, and searching for relevant case law. Moreover, the results of pilot projects implementing AI elements in courts have demonstrated increased speed of information processing and greater uniformity in judicial practice.
At the same time, the use of AI tools requires guarantees of compliance with ethical standards, protection of personal data, and preservation of the decisive role of the human being in making court decisions. Issues of cybersecurity threats, the risks of deepfakes, the use of artificially generated evidence, and the need to develop new procedural approaches to evaluating such materials also remain highly relevant.
During the final, fifth session titled “Public Statements by Judges on Matters of Public Interest”, participants discussed how courts should respond to challenges when their legitimacy, independence, or authority is called into question. Particular attention was paid to crisis communication, working with journalists, and the need to prepare courts for information-related challenges. As Stanislav Kravchenko noted during the discussion, the judiciary must actively use mechanisms of timely communication, prepare full texts of decisions without delay, and promptly publish press releases explaining the reasoning behind court rulings.
At the conclusion of the conference, participants agreed that strengthening judicial independence, increasing public trust in justice, effective communication between the judiciary and the public, the proper use of modern technologies, and the consistent implementation of European legal standards remain key priorities for the development of judicial systems in Central and Eastern European countries.
It was announced that the next Conference of Presidents of Supreme Courts of Central and Eastern European Countries will be held on May 24–25, 2027, in Brno (Czech Republic).
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