Recap: CEP Expert Network on Education and Training in Probation meets with the European Commission to discuss the EU Judicial Training Strategy

The session opened with welcome remarks from Danijela Mrhar Prelić, CEP Vice-President and Director General of the Probation Service in Slovenia. This was followed by a presentation from Anna Esquerrà Roqueta, CEP Policy and Liaison Officer, who provided an overview of the work carried out by the Education and Training Expert Network during the previous mandate. During her presentation, Anna Esquerrà Roqueta reflected on the activities developed under the chairmanship of former CEP Board member Maret Miljan (Estonia), highlighting the important role the network has played in strengthening cooperation and exchange among probation training institutions across Europe.

A key moment of the meeting was the announcement of the appointment of the new Chair of the Network, Cédric Le Bossé. Cédric is Head of the International Relations Unit at the French National Correctional Administration Academy, the institution responsible for training all categories of probation and prison staff in France. He also serves as coordinator of the EPTA Network. His appointment was warmly welcomed by participants and is expected to further strengthen cooperation between the Network and major European training initiatives in the field of probation and correctional services.

The highlight of the meeting was the presentation from the European Commission’s DG Justice. Participants welcomed Wojciech Postulski, Head of Unit, and Sara-Karolina Hjeltnes from the Digital Transition and Judicial Training Unit, who presented the European Commission Judicial Training Strategy 2025–2030 and its practical implementation.

The presentation focused in particular on the digital transformation of the justice sector, and the importance of strengthening digital skills and training opportunities for justice professionals across Europe. Special attention was given to the digitalisation of training for probation and prison staff, an area that is becoming increasingly important as justice systems evolve. The discussion highlighted the importance of direct dialogue between European institutions, European network organizations, national training providers and practitioners working in probation training across European jurisdictions.

CEP will soon invite members of the network to another online meeting where members will be invited to share their needs, ideas and priorities for the work of the network over the next years under the chairmanship of Cédric Le Bossé. This upcoming meeting will play an important role in shaping the future working plan of the CEP Education and Training Expert Network, ensuring that its activities continue to support probation training institutions across Europe.