Report from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and Social Committee on the activities of the European Judicial Network in civil and commercial matters

The European Commission has set the establishment of an area of justice and fundamental rights based on mutual trust as one of its ten key policy priorities. To reach that objective, the Commission is determined to strengthen common tools which contribute to building bridges between the different justice systems of the Member States and thereby creating mutual trust. The European Judicial Network in civil and commercial matters ("the Network") is through both its purpose and design precisely such a tool.

The Network started operations on 1 December 2002. It was set up by Council Decision No 2001/470/EC of 28 May 2001 establishing a European Judicial Network in civil and commercial matters to improve, simplify and expedite effective judicial cooperation between the Member States in civil and commercial matters. In 2009, Decision No 568/2009/EC modernised the Network's legal framework and expanded its tasks, activities and membership structure on the basis of a first report of 2006. Now, after several years of further operation and in the light of its additional responsibilities arising from recent Union legislative instruments in civil and commercial matters, is an appropriate moment to report on the Network's operation, as provided for by Article 19 of the Decision.

The Network's main tasks are:
- direct contacts and case-handling between national Network contact points;
- facilitating cross-border access to justice through information given to the public and to practitioners through factsheets and other publications available at the European e-Justice Portal in all Union languages;
- evaluating and sharing of experience on the operation of specific Union law instruments in civil and commercial matters.

Building on its achievements so far, the Commission aims at further improving the role and functioning of the Network. As referred to in the Communication from the Commission of 11 March 2014 on the EU Justice Agenda for 2020, existing mechanisms such as the Network "should be strengthened and their potential fully exploited, including online." This objective was taken forward by the strategic guidelines of the European Council of 26/27 June 2014 for legislative and operational planning for the coming years within the area of freedom, security and justice, which refer to "the overall priority now [...] to consistently transpose, effectively implement and consolidate the legal instruments and policy measures in place."

This report is based on the findings of a study commissioned by the Commission in 2014 on the activities of the Network which can be consulted online [see Related URL] and which contains data on its operation. In that context, an extensive consultation of the members of the Network has taken place, including an online consultation via the European e-Justice Portal.

European Commission: Evaluation of the activities of the European Judicial Network in civil and commercial matters: Final report http://bookshop.europa.eu/en/evaluation-of-the-activities-of-the-european-judicial-network-in-civil-and-commercial-matters-pbDS0114824/?CatalogCategoryID=luYKABst3IwAAAEjxJEY4e5L

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