By letter of  5th June 2018 the ENCJ President accepted the invitation for a courtesy visit of the Hungarian National Judicial Council (OBT) due to take place on 10 July 2018.

The General Assembly of the ENCJ adopted the Lisbon Declaration on Leading Positive Change. The declaration states that Councils for the Judiciary should initiate and lead a process of positive change and focuses on two aspects: the internal aspect in the sense of the engagement of stakeholders and in t he external sense of the judiciary's relationship with other state posers and strengtening the role of the judiciary within the State. 

The Declaration also contains paragraphs that deal with the situation in Poland and Turkey.

At the first ever organized ENCJ market in Lisbon on 1 June 2018, nine Members and Observers of the ENCJ presented  their best idea which has been succesful and has led to positive change.

On the 30th May 2018 the ENCJ Members gathered in Lisbon to elect a new President and 4 new Board Members. 

Mr. Kees Sterk, member of the  Netherlands Council for the Judiciary, was elected to succeed Ms Nuria Díaz Abad as President of the ENCJ. His mandate will start on 1 June 2018 and last two years. 

On 12 and 13 April the ENCJ organised a scientific conference within the framework of the ENCJ project on Independence and Accountability. The aim of the seminar was firstly to discuss the methodology used to measure the independence and accountability of justice systems, to suggest possible improvements or alternatives, and to discuss the best way to validate the outcomes of this study.

Dear Sir/Madam,

On 14 March the ENCJ organised a worshop with representatives of the European Commission, Council of Europe, CCJE, Worldbank, CCBE and the network of Supreme Court Presidents of the EU.

The aim of the workshop was to discuss the ENCJ Independence and Accountability project, the methododology developed and the outcomes in general. Each of the organsiations that attended brought their own expertise to the table.

On 8 December 2017 the President of the ENCJ, Nuria Díaz Abad, attended and spoke at the MEDEL conference in Krakow, Poland. In her address she highlighted the work of the ENCJ in relation to Judgecraft and other relevant European Standards for the Judiciary.  A video of the whole conference is availalbe here (the President speaks at minute 30 and 59).

On the 28th of September the Polish Judiciary celebrated 100 years of Independent Judiciary. In a special ceremony Ms Nuria Díaz Abad, President of the ENCJ, was awarded a medal of the National Council of the Judicial of Poland “ Meritorious for Justice – Bene Merentibus Iustitiae” for her work on behalf of the ENCJ promoting and defending an independent and accountable judiciary for the benefit of all in Poland and elsewhere in Europe. The President of the CCJE, Mr Nils Engstad, was awarded the same medal.