ELI-Mount Scopus European Standards of Judicial Independence Discussed at a High Level Conference in Cyprus

12.12.2025

The 5th Annual Symposium of the Procedural Law Unit of the Law School of the University of Nicosia took place from 10–12 December 2025, in collaboration with the International Association for Judicial Independence and World Peace (JIWP).

The symposium, entitled ‘Judicial Independence and Liberal Democracy Under Threat: The Challenge of Implementing the ELI-Mt Scopus Standards for Judicial Independence’, brought together government officials, distinguished academics, legal practitioners, and policymakers from across Europe and beyond.

Among the Speakers were:

  • Nicolaas Bel, Deputy Head of Unit Justice Policy and Rule of Law, Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers, European Commission
  • Prof Dr Achilleas Emilianides, Dean of the Law School of the University of Nicosia
  • Despoina Kyprianou, Head of the Legal Service Academy
  • Valentina Pavlicic, President of the Supreme Court of Montenegro
  • Prof Dr Pascal Pichonnaz, Former President of the European Law Institute; University of Fribourg
  • Prof Dr Marieta Safta, ELI Council member; Titu Maiorescu University
  • Prof Dr Shimon Shetreet, President of the JIWP; Co-Chair of the Procedural Law Unit, Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Co-Reporter of the ELI-Mount Scopus project
  • Prof Dr Matthias Storme, ELI Council member; KU Leuven
  • Fotini Tsiridou, Vice-Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs
  • Prof Dr Takis Tridimas, Director of the Luxembourg Centre for European Law
  • Michalis Vorkas, President of the Cyprus Bar Association
  • Prof Dr Fryderyk Zoll, University of Osnabrück and Jagiellonian University; Co-Reporter of the ELI-Mount Scopus project

The participants’ interventions conveyed a clear and consistent message: judicial independence is, now more than ever, a cornerstone for safeguarding the rule of law and ensuring the resilience of democratic institutions.

ELI is grateful to its members, Prof Dr Shimon Shetreet and Assistant Professor Nicolas Kyriakides, Director of the Procedural Law Unit at the University of Nicosia, for organising the event and disseminating the ELI-Mount Scopus European Standards of Judicial Independence.

The symposium was held with the support of Scordis & Papapetrou LLC, Lellos P Demetriades Law Office, Christos Georgiades and Associates LLC, Harris Kyriakides, and FIDE Cyprus.

 Back