e-CODEX

European Economic and Social Committee opinion on the proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on a computerised system for communication in cross-border civil and criminal proceedings (e-CODEX system), and amending Regulation (EU) 2018/1726, COM(2020) 712 final

Key points

The EESC:

• welcomes the proposed regulatory initiative, which will have an indirect positive impact as it simplifies and speeds up cross-border judicial procedures and cooperation;
• recommends including a provision to open up the possibility of other uses by other public administrations, including for example the transfer of e-health records;
• recommends that the Commission include the scalability aspect within the scope of the regulation,
• considers that it must be linked with the overarching digital strategy 'Shaping Europe's Digital Future', a key aspect that is not explicit in the regulation;
• believes that chapter 2 of the proposed regulation needs to address the transparency of the decision-making process, the involvement of Member States and other relevant stakeholders, and the necessary independence of decisions taken by the bodies involved in its governance;
• believes that the development of digital justice must aim at ensuring that all citizens in the EU have secure, safe, reliable and easy access to justice.

For more information please contact the INT Section Secretariat.