28.12.2013 Official Journal of the European Union L 354/73 REGULATION (EU) No 1382/2013 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 17 December 2013 establishing a Justice Programme for the period 2014 to 2020 (Text with EEA relevance) THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 81(1) and (2), Article 82(1) and Article 84 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission, After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments, Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (1), Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions (?), Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure (%), Whereas: (1) The Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) provides for the creation of an area of freedom, security and justice, in which persons are free to move. To that end, the Union may adopt measures to develop judicial cooperation in civil and criminal matters and to promote and support the action of Member States in the field of crime prevention. Respect for fundamental rights as well as for common principles, such as non-discrimi- nation, gender equality, effective access to justice for all, the rule of law and a well-functioning independent judicial system should be ensured in the further devel- opment of a European area of justice. 20 In the Stockholm Programme (* the European Council reaffirmed the priority of developing an area of freedom, security and justice and specified as a political priority the achievement of a Europe of law and justice. Financing was identified as one of the important tools for the successful  implementation  of  the  Stockholm () O] C 299, 4.10.2012, p. 103. (3) O] C 277, 13.9.2012, p. 43. (’) Position of the European Parliament of 11 December 2013 (not yet published in the Official Journal) and decision of the Council of 16 December. (% OJ C 115, 4.5.2010, p. 1. Programme’s political priorities. The ambitious goals set by the Treaties and by the Stockholm Programme should be attained inter alia by establishing, for the period 2014 to 2020, a flexible and effective Justice Programme (the "Programme") which should facilitate planning and implementation. The general and specific objectives of the Programme should be interpreted in line with the relevant strategic guidelines defined by the European Council. (3)  The Commission Communication of 3 March 2010 on the Europe 2020 Strategy sets out a strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. A well-functioning area of justice, where obstacles in cross-border judicial proceedings and access to justice in cross-border situ- ations are eliminated, should be developed as a key element to support the specific objectives and flagship initiatives of the Europe 2020 Strategy and to facilitate mechanisms designed to promote growth. (4)  For the purposes of this Regulation, the term "judiciary and judicial staff" should be interpreted so as to include judges, prosecutors and court officers, as well as other legal practitioners associated with the judiciary, such as lawyers, notaries, bailiffs, probation officers, mediators and court interpreters. (5)  Judicial training is central to building mutual trust and improves cooperation between judicial authorities and practitioners in the various Member States. Judicial training should be seen as an essential element in promoting a genuine European judicial culture in the context of the Commission Communication of 13 September 2011 entitled "Building trust in EU-wide justice. A new dimension to European judicial training", the Council Resolution on the training of judges, pros- ecutors and judicial staff in the European Union (%), the Council conclusions of 27 and 28 October 2011 on European judicial training and the European Parliament resolution of 14 March 2012 on judicial training. (6)  Judicial training can involve different actors, such as Member States’ legal, judicial and administrative auth- orities, academic institutions, national bodies responsible for judicial training, European-level training organisations or networks, or networks of court coordinators of Union law. Bodies and entities pursuing a general European interest in the field of training of the judiciary, such as () OJ C 299, 22.11.2008, p. 1.