Training Curriculum on Fundamental Rights for Judgeship Trainees

Research Topic & Roadmap

Since 2008, the subject “Fundamental Rights” has been an integral part of the training of Austrian judges and prosecutors.  The project ” Training Curriculum on Fundamental Rights for Judgeship Trainees ” of the programme line “General Human Rights Issues” of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Fundamental and Human Rights (LBI-GMR) in cooperation with  the Austrian Institute for Human Rights, the European Training and Research Centre for Human Rights and Democracy at the University of Graz, the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Fundamental Rights Group and the Higher Regional Courts of Vienna , Graz, Linz and Innsbruck has been imparting expert knowledge on the topic to trainee judges in Austria since 2007.

Research Focus

The focus is on the rights and fundamental freedoms as guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.

These include:

• the right to liberty and security
• the right to a fair trial
• the right to protection of private and family life
• the freedom of expression
• the prohibition of discrimination

Thanks to the ongoing cooperation of all project partners, it has been possible to implement changes and improvements step by step over the years. Current developments are also taken into account in the learning materials and case studies, which are updated on a regular basis.

Research Method

Within the framework of three-day seminars, trainee judges (RiAA) are taught exam-relevant human rights content with a high degree of practical relevance, which is intended to prepare them for their future careers. Up to four training sessions are held annually in the Higher Regional Courts (OLG) of Vienna,  Graz , Linz and Innsbruck. The trainers are a human rights expert from one institutes together with a judge in tandem.

As the ongoing feedback shows, the seminars are very well received by the target group. The high level of practical relevance is particularly appreciated.

• Project Title: Training Curriculum on Fundamental Rights for Judgeship Trainees
• Project Consortium: Austrian Institute for Human Rights, European Training and Research Centre for Human Rights and Democracy at the University of Graz, Federal Ministry of Justice, Fundamental Rights Group, Higher Regional Courts of Vienna, Graz , Linz  and Innsbruck, Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Fundamental and Human Rights
• Project Leader LBI-GMR: Katrin Wladasch
• Project Duration: since April 2007
• Commissioners: Federal Ministry of Justice, Higher Regional Courts of Vienna, Graz, Linz and Innsbruck
• Programme Line LBI-GMR: General Human Rights Issues