Conference “Judicial Independence” in Athens

News of the IAJ

EAJ Vice President Roland Kempfle spoke on the Conference “Judicial Independence” on June 19, 2025 in Athens. The conference was co-organised by the Greek Association of Judges and Prosecutors and the Plenary of Greek Bar Associations. It focused on current challenges to judicial independence both in Europe and globally. Key issues discussed included systemic threats to judicial independence, the historical and ongoing quest for independent justice in Greece, the perspective of the European Court of Human Rights, and comparative insights from countries like Poland on judicial self-governance and institutional safeguards.

The speakers at the conference were:

  1. Roland Kempfle, LL.M., Vice President of the International Association of Judges (IAJ) and the European Association of Judges (EAJ)

Topic: “Current threats to judicial independence inside and outside of Europe”

  1. Antonios Roupakiotis, Former President of the Athens Bar Association

Topic:“Why the search for judicial independence is timeless”

  1. Ioannis Ktistakis, President of the 3rd Section of the European Court of Human Rights, Professor of Law at Democritus University of Thrace

Topic: “The independence of Justice from the perspective of Strasbourg”

  1. Ioannis Valmantonis, Court of Appeals Judge

Topic: “Self-governance of Justice and Independence”

  1. Bartosz Grohman, Vice President of the Polish Bar Council, Member of the Polish Delegation to the CCBE, Advocate

Topic: “Judicial Independence – The example of Poland – Proposed solutions”

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