Justice minister tweaks, tables contentious bill
The Justice Ministry has tabled a bill which aims to reform the training of prospective state judges and the operation of the National School of Judges.
Justice Minister Kostas Tsiaras made modifications to the bill, taking heed to the recommendations issued by the Council of State, Greece’s top administrative court, and reactions from the unions of judges.
Rules stipulate that judges will attend compulsory annual training seminars followed by a Q&A session. After the tweak, the questionnaires will not be graded but will still be included in judges’ personal files to be reviewed in case of future promotion.
Furthermore, trainee judges will have to complete an eight-month internship, which will count as much as theoretical training toward their final mark. The bill was modified to stipulate that candidates will be evaluated by their supervisors but no specific quota will be set.
