The next event of the THEMIS competition is coming up: semi-final D will take place between 2-5 July in Bulgary. The professional competition is organised by the European Judicial Training Network (EJTN) every year, where national teams of future judges and prosecutors with less than 2 years’ experience compete with each other. It’s main objective is to bring together future magistrates from different European countries to enable them to share common values, to exchange new experiences and to discuss new perspectives in areas of common interest.

This year is the 14th occasion the event is organised. The number of participants is growing: in 2018, 41 teams from more than half of the EU Member States competed in the four semi-finals and 8 teams in the Grand Final.

The 3-member national teams prepare with the help of a tutor. Each semi-final has three stages: a written paper on a topic relevant for the subject of the semi-final, an oral presentation of that paper and a discussion with the jury. From the four semi-finals, 2-2 teams advance to the Grand Final, where altogether 8 teams compete.

Hungary boasts a successful performance in the previous years: last year, members of semi-final team D: dr. Ada Csizmár, dr. Johanna Kotsis and dr. Tamás Bicskei made it to the finals; members of semi-final team C were awarded with a special award. 

The Hungarian Academy of Justice has been hosting the semi-finals for the 3rd time this year: between 23-26 April, dr. Dóra Pálfi, dr. Zoltán Földvári and dr. Diána Dely represented Hungary, their paper will be published in the yearly THEMIS magazin. 

The subject of the upcoming semi-final is judicial ethics and professional conduct. This time we may root for trainee judges dr. Franciska Gyuranetz, dr. Dorottya Papp and dr. Bernadett Krausz, who prepare with the help of dr. Bálint Kovács, judge at the Szombathely Regional Court.