Drawing lessons from the judicial paralysis caused by Covid-19, the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council intends to give a boost to the use of new technologies in the Justice arena over the next 6 months.
In its work programme, it states that it will pay particular attention to the interoperability of European judicial systems and Member States’ IT systems, starting with the e-CODEX computer system (‘e-Justice Communication via Online Data Exchange’).
Portugal wants to reach agreement on the proposal for a regulation that aims to transfer the management, development and maintenance of this system to the EU’s eu-LISA agency (see EUROPE 12614/12) by June, according to a provisional timetable.
Another important objective of the Portuguese Presidency is to ensure the continuity of the European e-Justice Action Plan for the 2019-2023 period.
Lisbon also intends to address issues regarding the use of artificial intelligence in judicial systems and the civil liability arising from its use, in particular at a high-level conference on e-Justice which it will organise in April.
Among the legislative dossiers that the country hopes to see completed by the end of its Presidency are proposals to facilitate access to electronic evidence in criminal investigations (see EUROPE 12617/12). According to a provisional agenda, it also aims to reach agreement by June on the Regulation concerning the law applicable to the effectiveness of assignments of claims (see EUROPE 12610/29).
The implementation of the EU strategy on victims’ rights for the 2020-2025 period will be another major priority (see EUROPE 12513/11) of the Portuguese Presidency, which also wishes to encourage reflection on the current state of protection for vulnerable adults in the EU.
Lisbon also intends to deepen reflection on the links between transnational organised crime and counterfeiting and formonitoring the work in progress concerning environmental crime.
See the programme: https://bit.ly/38Xm0oS (Original version in French by Marion Fontana)