WARSAW, 14 May 2010 - Government representatives, experts and civil society groups from the OSCE’s 56 participating States will gather in Warsaw next week to discuss ways to strengthen the independence of the judiciary and public access to justice.

The three-day meeting, which starts on Monday, is organized by the Warsaw-based OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.

Working sessions will focus on bodies responsible for protecting the independence of the judiciary, the selection of judges and their accountability, as well as public access to justice.

The meeting will be opened with a keynote speech by Guy Canivet, a member of the Constitutional Council of France.

Journalists are invited to attend the meeting which starts at 10:00 on 17 May, at the Novotel Warszawa Centrum, ul. Marszalkowska 94/98, Warsaw.

The agenda is available on the OSCE website: http://www.osce.org/conferences/hds_2010.html

Direct link to the press release