Judicial organisation in Europe

Book abstract:

This publication, with an introduction by the Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine of Lairg, contains a description of the structure and functioning of the judicial systems of most Council of Europe member states. A previous version of this book was published in 1975, with contributions from 18 states. The present edition has contributions from 33 of the present 41 member states. The increasing freedom to travel within Europe is leading to an increased use of the courts in civil and criminal cases. Basic information about the structure and operation of such a large number of countries collected together in one volume should thus be a useful tool for both practitioners and academics.

The thirty three countries covered are: the Member States of the European Union (excluding Spain, Portugal and Scotland), Albania, Andorra, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Iceland, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic, Republic of Slovenia, Switzerland, Macedonia, Turkey and the Ukraine. For each country, there is a description of the legal system and the different types of court. For most countries, there is also statistical data, giving details such as the number of courts and the number of judges. For clarity, a diagram is often included to show the structure of the system.

Judicial organisation in Europe has been prepared on the basis of the contributions by states represented on both the European Committee on Legal Co-operation and the Committee of Experts on Efficiency of Justice.