This study aims to discuss the organizational models of the judicial councils functioning in the three Baltic States - Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia. The analysis takes into account the time and direct rationale for establishing the relevant bodies, their composition and the process of selecting the chairperson, the length and recurrence of the term of office, the number of judges in the council, and the competences of the councils. The overview of Estonian, Lithuanian, and Latvian legal solutions is intended to examine the legal basis of the Judicial Councils, their legal status, composition, and organization, and their competences in the light of the standards developed in Europe. The work was prepared based on a dogmatic-legal method, using elements of historical and comparative analysis.

On February 17, 2008 Kosovo declared independence. The foundation for the creation of the Republic of Kosovo was the international community, which created the legal framework for the future statehood of Kosovo. The concept developed in the Athisari Plan of making the Judicial Council the guarantor of judicial autonomy and independence of judges was also a kind of anticipation of the subsequent fundamental changes in the system, introduced under the 2008 Constitution. This article attempts to analyze the systemic position of the Kosovo Judicial Council in the state system formed under the 2008 Constitution. It presents the composition of the Council, the procedure for the appointment of its members and the principles of its organization and functioning. The solution adopted in the Kosovo Basic Law is in line with the widely understood Southern European organizational model of judicial councils.