Digitalisation of justice

EESC opinion on the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Digitalisation of justice in the European Union - A toolbox of opportunities, COM(2020) 710 final

Key points

The EESC:

• welcomes the Communication as an essential and effective step to enable the digitalisation of justice,
• stresses that it is increasingly important to lay down rules for a more homogeneous approach among the Member States,
• believes that the digitalisation of justice is a crucial tool for ensuring genuine cooperation between Member State authorities in combating criminal practices that severely damage the European are,
• proposes that the Commission adopt a directive on judicial proceedings held at distance,
• does not believe that the use of other means of distance communication, which already exist, could jeopardise data protection itself, given that anyone can attend most court proceedings,
• believes that when investigating a potential terrorist group in a Member State, the police must have instant access to the evidence gathered,
• stresses the need to also make the most of the advantages of digitalisation for the possibility of enforcing judgments in other Member States, for alternative dispute mechanisms and for administrative cooperation between the Members States and EU agencies.

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