THE ROUND TABLES ON DISCIPLINARY RESPONSIBILITY OF JUDGES ORGANISED FOR THE JUDGES OF THE APPELLATE DISTRICTS OF NOVI SAD AND NIŠ

On 16 November, 2021, a round table "Disciplinary Responsibility of Judges – Challenges in Practice of Disciplinary Bodies and Relevance of Legal Framework" was held for judges from the appellate district of Novi Sad, while the same round table was held on 29 November for the judges from the appellate district of Niš. 

The panelists were current and former members of the disciplinary bodies of the High Judicial Council (Disciplinary Commissions and the Disciplinary Prosecutor, and the members of the HJC acting as a second instance disciplinary body). The participants discussed the key legal issues that present the challenges in the work of disciplinary bodies, addressed through three panels: I. Justifiability of the existence of the current disciplinary offences, II. Breach of the Code of Ethics as a basis for disciplinary responsibility of judges and III. Disciplinary responsibility of the president of the court - the need for consistent legislation. An expert analysis of the work of disciplinary bodies for the period 2016-2019 was also presented, as well as an analysis of the compliance of the work of disciplinary bodies with the previously provided expert recommendations.

To overcome the challenges caused by the current epidemiological situation, the Project experts organised the round tables in a hybrid format. The panelists' presentations were broadcasted live via an online platform, providing the participants with a quick accsess to direct virtual discussion and a "chat room" for questions and comments.