This guide has been designed as a tool to promote judicial monitoring among civil society activists, particularly those who are new to the practice of independent oversight and judicial observation. As a part of the CEELI Institute’s project on protecting the rule of law and strengthening the independence of judiciary in Central and Eastern Europe, it is the culmination of months of research and interviews with dozens of CSO leaders, practitioners, lawyers, judges, and judicial watchdogs. At the heart of this exercise is the belief that a strong, independent judiciary is an essential element of a healthy nation. 

The guide covers Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Serbia, and Slovakia.  Each of these countries is home to a strong CSO community that focuses on work with judiciaries, and CEELI has established trusted relationships and cooperation with them.