On Tuesday 4 July, MEPs overwhelmingly adopted (545 votes for, 79 against, 76 abstentions), a legislative own-initiative report presented by Emil Radev (EPP, Bulgaria) to introduce common standards for civil procedures in the Union.
The text seeks to promote efficiency, timeliness and legal cooperation in the European Union, as well as guarantee the right to a fair trial for individuals who would like to take court action in a member state that is not the one in which they reside. It will therefore include introducing, “minimum standards for beginning, undertaking and concluding civil procedures”.
MEPs are also suggesting the use of technical resources to promote hearings when one of the parties does not reside in the country where the hearing is taking place. The report also calls for guaranteed deadlines for reasonable procedures, non-disproportionate legal costs and an opportunity for granting legal aid to any EU citizens.
In an effort to back up his proposals, Mr Radev indicates that despite the “regulatory puzzle” comprising the jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice, acts of derived law and EU legislative measures, there is no common civil procedures code in the Union. (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)