Members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) and the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) adopted the last two texts of the ‘modernisation of justice’ package on Wednesday 1 March: the regulation (78 votes in favour, 2 abstentions) and the directive (79 votes in favour, 1 abstention) aiming to digitalise judicial cooperation.
MEPs largely agreed with the European Commission’s original proposal, which provides a framework for the exchange of information and documents, the use of video-conferencing and the payment of electronic costs in civil, commercial and criminal proceedings.
The aim of both texts is to enable citizens, businesses and judicial authorities in different Member States to communicate easily in cross-border proceedings via secure digital tools, in this case a European electronic access point.
“The decentralised IT system will become the main method of communication between Member States’ courts. Moreover, the new provisions will make it easier for parties in cross-border civil and criminal proceedings to participate in oral hearings via video conferencing. This, in turn, will reduce the price and facilitate the access to justice”, said the co-rapporteur on both texts, Emil Radev (EPP, Bulgarian).
MEPs stressed the need to include and support all citizens in online procedures, including those most vulnerable to the digital transition. For example, the European electronic access point should contain information for natural and legal persons on their right to legal assistance and IT support services should be available free of charge for those who need it to use the online portal, say MEPs.
The EU Council had already adopted its position on both texts on 9 December (see EUROPE 13082/24).
See the adopted changes: https://aeur.eu/f/5k5 (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)