On 21-23 May, 2026 the mid-year meeting of the European Association of Judges, European Regional Group of the IAJ, took place in Luxembourg with the attendance of the President of the IAJ Mr. Walter Barone, the First Vice-President and EAJ President Ms. Sabine Matejka, the IAJ Vice Presidents Mr. Roland Kempfle and Ms. Dorota Zabludowska, the IAJ Honorary Presidents Mr. Duro Sessa, Gerhard Reissner, Christophe Régnard, the IAJ Secretary-General Mr. Giacomo Oberto and the IAJ Deputy Secretaries-General Mr. Raffaele Gargiulo and Mr. Lucio Aschettino. In attendance were representatives of 39 European Member Associations of the IAJ (out of a total number of 44). The meeting was hosted by the Association of Judges of Luxembourg (Groupement des Magistrats Luxembourgeois).
The debates focused on several items of the agenda: among them the situations of the judiciary in Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Spain and Turkey. EAJ President Matejka explained her report and the activities of the EAJ Board, whereas IAJ President Barone addressed the assembly, providing information on some IAJ member associations not belonging to the EAJ.
The assembly commemorated former EAJ and IAJ President Ernst Markel and heard and discussed as well the reports from the three permanent Working Groups of the EAJ: the Working Group on the situation of Member Associations, the “Ways to Brussels” Working Group and the Working Group on “Judicial Salaries and Pensions”. The assembly greeted as well 3 special guests, namely the Deputy Director of ERA (European Academy of Law), the President of ENCJ (European Network of Councils of Justice) and Secretary-General of EJTN (European Justice Training Network), who made presentations on behalf of their institutions.
The event was preceded by an official opening ceremony at the Court of Justice of the European Union, on 21 May 2025. On that same day, the IAJ President, the EAJ Board and the IAJ Secretary-General were received by HRH the Grand Duke of Luxembourg Guillaume V at the Palais Grand-Ducal of Luxembourg.
