Seminar: E-Justice: Electronic Technology in the Justice Sector

Objectives:
This seminar aims to provide to the participants an overview of the e-tools being introduced in the justice sector (at the EU level and international level), and to demonstrate how it may improve and facilitate their practice of law, with particular focus on:

Description:
The use of the modern electronic technology in the field of justice is in constant development: from the mere access to information on laws via Internet to the possibility of electronic communication with persons involved in court proceedings, there is a wide range of possibilities of using the Information Technologies not only at the European Union level but also at the international level. This not only facilitates the networking at the justice level but also helps the citizens, the economic operators and the practitioners of law in their access to justice. The citizen is no longer a passive part of the system but (s)he is now able to have an easy and direct access to the proceedings. In the last Justice and Home Affairs Council under the German Presidency in June 2007, an important political agreement was reached – work should be carried on in the area of E-Justice with a view to creating at European level a technical platform giving access, in the sphere of justice, to existing or future electronic systems at national, Community and international level in civil, commercial and criminal matters in various areas (e.g. the set-up of a European interface, the possible use of IT for the communications between the judicial authorities and the interested parties, access to judicial registers in electronic form). This seminar will analyse some of the current utilisations of the electronic technology in the justice sector, actual examples will be discussed and best practices at the European and international level will be shared. A special focus will be given to the E-Apostile Pilot Programme facilitated by the Hague Conference on Private International Law and to the work that is currently being undertaken by the Council.
 
Method:
A combination of presentations, discussions and online demonstrations.

Now English language only