European Union law in the field of criminal justice – sign up for the advanced course

The course was developed by the EU ‘Pravo-Justice’ Project and handed over to the National School of Judges of Ukraine for use in the professional training of judges. Organisational support for the implementation and delivery of the course is provided by the Distance Learning Sector of the Judges’ Training Department at the National School of Judges of Ukraine (e-learning@nsj.gov.ua).

Registration: from 13 to 26 August 2026

Course dates: from 27 August to 30 September 2026, delivered remotely

Target audience: judges, assistant judges

The aim of the course is to build a system of in-depth knowledge regarding the specific features of European Union law in the field of criminal justice. Such a level of knowledge is critically important, as successful progress towards EU membership depends to a large extent on a deep understanding of the fundamental values and principles underpinning the functioning of the Union as an area of freedom, security and justice, as well as on the ability to correctly apply the provisions of EU law, which will become part of Ukrainian law upon accession.

This advanced course examines the fundamentals of EU law in the field of criminal justice, its institutional framework, the legal mechanisms for harmonising the criminal and criminal procedure legislation of Member States, the minimum standards for the rights of parties to criminal proceedings, and the specific nature of cooperation between national judicial and law enforcement authorities in criminal matters. Particular attention is paid to the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, whose rulings constitute an important interpretative source for the correct understanding and application of EU law in this area at national level.

The course is accompanied by video material from the official websites of the European Union and EU Member States, which provides a better understanding of the specific features of the EU’s legislative approaches and introduces participants to successful practices in cooperation between national judicial and law enforcement authorities. The course utilises modern technological solutions incorporating artificial intelligence. In particular, a video has been generated using a digital twin of the project’s national expert, Tetiana Anakina – the course author.

Upon successful completion of the course, participants will be able to:

– effectively apply the principles of EU law and the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union as a source of interpretation when adjudicating criminal cases at national level;

– professionally assess the legal grounds and mechanisms for international cooperation between judicial and law enforcement authorities in criminal matters, in particular regarding extradition and mutual legal assistance;

– ensure the proper protection of the rights of parties to criminal proceedings in accordance with the minimum standards and directives of the European Union;

– draft high-quality judicial decisions, taking into account the principles of legal integration and harmonisation of Ukraine’s criminal and criminal procedure legislation with EU law.

For your information

The course has been developed as part of the ‘Pravo-Justice’ technical assistance project, implemented by Expertise France with financial support from the European Union, in cooperation with the National School of Judges of Ukraine.

We invite judges and judicial assistants to join the training! Register for the course via this link.