Context
For many years, Latvia’s justice sector faced a fundamental challenge: although legislation required continuous professional development for judges, prosecutors, and other justice officials, the training system itself was fragmented, inconsistent, and unable to meet modern expectations. Institutions worked in isolation, training remained short‑term and reactive, and valuable resources were spread across uncoordinated initiatives. This hindered the creation of shared standards and limited the sector’s ability to deliver high‑quality, efficient, and citizen‑focused justice.
As European justice systems increasingly depend on interdisciplinary expertise, digital skills, and institutional cooperation, Latvia seized the opportunity to reform its approach. The project established the Judicial Academy – a permanent centre of excellence bringing together the executive and judicial branches to coordinate professional training nationally through long-term planning, modern learning methods, and a shared quality vision.
This initiative goes beyond organisational restructuring. It serves as a catalyst for cultural change, strengthening professionalism, trust, and strategic capacity across the justice sector. By investing in human capital as the core of rule of law, the project delivers lasting value for public administration and for society.
Objectives
The objective of the project is to address the fragmented, unsustainable, and inefficient system of professional development within Latvia’s justice sector. Before the establishment of the Judicial Academy, judges, court staff, prosecutors, prosecutor’s assistants, and investigators receive training in an institution-specific and uncoordinated manner, particularly in interdisciplinary areas that are essential for effective and high-quality judicial decision-making. This limits shared standards, reduces efficiency, and hinders long‑term capacity-building across the sector.
In response, the project’s central objective is the creation of the Judicial Academy – Latvia’s first permanent, unified institution dedicated to continuous professional development for the entire justice system. The Academy will serve as a national centre of excellence, and provide a sustainable and strategically managed framework for continuous professional development across the justice sector. It will enable long-term planning, development, and implementation of practice-oriented training programmes, promote a shared understanding of quality, efficiency, and fairness in judicial proceedings, and strengthen cooperation among justice institutions.
Through the creation of the Judicial Academy, the project delivers a concrete and structural solution that enhances professional competence, supports institutional independence, and contributes directly to the effectiveness of the justice system, the rule of law, and service to the public.
Implementation
The project is implemented through structured management, budgeting, staff recruitment, partnerships, and targeted communication. The Ministry of Justice leads the project as the sector’s responsible authority ensuring strategic oversight and alignment with national justice priorities.
A dedicated Supervisory Board of the project for strategic decision-making with representatives of the Judicial Council and the Ministry of Justice ensures control over the use of resources, reliability of data, risk management, and compliance with publicity requirements. Funding from the EU Recovery Fund ensures both the establishment of the Judicial Academy and the development and implementation of training programmes by the first semester of 2026.
The project envisages three main activities: the development of the training programmes (also, if necessary, updating) and implementation, investments in infrastructure (premises and equipment), and capacity-building of the training system. The Court Administration is responsible for the implementation of the project, regular entry of progress data into the Information System for the Cohesion Fund, organisation of procurement processes, risk management, and documentation of budget use. It ensures internal control, operates a project management committee and advisory council, and engages experts and partners to support programme development. The project also prioritises communication in line with EU visibility requirements.