E-justice draft report presented in Legal Affairs Committee

6.23.33pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 8th Oct 2008

Diana Wallis MEP's draft report on e-justice was warmly received by fellow MEPs and representatives of the French Presidency when she presented it to the Legal Affairs Committee yesterday.

Member States are currently involved in a number of projects that aim to use ICT to improve the accessibility and efficiency of Europe's judicial and legal systems, such as through connecting registers and enabling cross-border video conferencing in courts. In her draft report, Ms. Wallis welcomes the progress that has been made, but appeals for a more coordinated approach to ensure that there is no duplication of efforts. In addition, the report asks that systems be put in place which guarantee that current and future legislation in the area of civil justice takes into account the opportunities that ICT can offer.

Ms. Wallis also calls for work to be more citizen-focussed, asking that all tools are available to citizens in all community languages, and that further work concentrates on issues which are of key importance to citizens, such as making cross-border access to legal aid simpler. Ms. Wallis's focus on the citizen also applies to the planned "e-justice portals", where she calls for a portal that caters specifically for the needs of citizens, with information on procedures, guidance on dealing with different legal systems, and reliable directories of legal professionals and bodies in all member states.

The report is expected to be adopted in the Legal Affairs Committee in early November, with a vote in plenary due in December.