Revista da EMERJ - V. 21 - N. 2 - Maio/Agosto - 2019

 R. EMERJ, Rio de Janeiro, v. 21, n. 2, p. 11-39, Maio-Agosto, 2019  24 tures for the planning and management of programmes of professional training and education. 58 In 2012 these educational activities came to an end, as a new Superior School of the Magistracy 59 began functioning. Af- ter an initial period of tension between the Superior School of the Magis- tracy and the CSM, the situation seems to be improving. Third, the CSM may express advisory opinions to the Minister of Justice on legislative bills dealing with the administration of justice. Al- though the opinions are addressed to the Minister of Justice, they are in fact intended to influence parliamentarians. 60 Finally, whenever the majority of the CSM deems that criticism of the magistracy as a whole or some of its members is unjustified or of- fensive. The CSM formally issues an official statement of reprimand as a means of protecting the independence of the judiciary and of its indi- vidual members. 61 6. Judicial Independence v. Efficiency of Judicial System in Italy? a) Introductory Remarks Turning to the relationships between efficiency and judicial inde- pendence, one immediately meets with strong views in the Italian scholar- ship. As G. Di Federico put it: “The role of the [ Consiglio superiore della Magistratura ] and the developments of judicial governance in Italy seem fully to validate the worries frequently expressed in several countries with regard to the actual functioning of national judicial councils composed of a majority of magistrates, namely that the value of independence be used as a means to pursue the corporate interest of magistrates to the detriment of an effective balance between the values of independence and accountability, a balance which is necessary for the proper and efficient functioning of the judicial system”. 62 58 Cf. G. Di Federico , Judicial Independence in Italy, p. 363. 59 Decreto legislativo no. 26 of 2006. 60 Cf. G. Di Federico , Judicial Independence in Italy, p. 364. 61 Cf. G. Di Federico , Judicial Independence in Italy, p. 365. 62 Cf. G. Di Federico , Judicial Independence in Italy, p. 397.