CEPEJ has adopted a Toolkit for the implementation of e-Justice principles
The development of information and communication technologies is a catalyst in the issues of informatization of the judicial sphere, and is certainly one of the priority directions of state development. In particular, the use of e-justice in the judiciary is an important factor in improving the efficiency, openness and transparency of justice.
According to the recommendations of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe CM/Rec (2009) 1 to the member states of the Council of Europe on e-democracy dated February 18, 2009, electronic justice means the use of information and communication technologies in the administration of justice by all interested parties in the legal sphere, with a view to improving efficiency, quality of public services, in particular for individuals and businesses. It contains electronic communication and data exchange, as well as access to judicial information. Its main purpose is to increase the efficiency of the judiciary and the quality of justice, since access to justice is one of the aspect of access to democratic institutions and processes.
At its 28th plenary session on December 6-7, 2016, the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) adopted the Guidelines on how to drive change towards Cyberjustice. The document analyzes the best practices of European countries over the last 15 years in the field of implementing information and communication systems in the judiciary. This allowed CEPEJ to develop basic principles that may be required by the national legislature to facilitate the effective use of information technology capabilities, in particular in the context of the functioning of the judicial systems.
At its 32nd plenary session on June 13-14, 2019, CEPEJ adopted the Toolkit for supporting the implementation of the Guidelines on how to drive change towards Cyberjustice. In particular, the document contains: “Abridged summary on key guidelines and principles on how to drive change towards Cyberjustice”; “Action plan to support the designing and managing of the IT Strategy in a Justice System”; “Action Plan to outline on building a case management system that serves the users”; “Checklist on the different steps and actions to be taken when designing, developing and implementing an IT project within a justice system”; “Suggested grid for evaluating IT projects”.
The documents contained in this instrument have been prepared to support the judicial authorities of the member states of the Council of Europe in effectively managing the digital transformation processes in the field of justice. Their main objective is to facilitate the understanding of the main principles and steps for the implementation of e-justice in the judiciary, described more detail in the Guidelines, as well as to clearly identify the measures needed to implement various IT projects of this kind and assist public authorities in solving problems related to the implementation of e-justice.
The document is expected to be reviewed and updated on a regular basis by the CEPEJ Working Group on quality of justice and CEPEJ experts.
Also in 2018, CEPEJ presented the European ethical Charter on the use of Artificial Intelligence in the judicial systems and their environment. The Charter was the first document in Europe to establish internationally the ethical principles of the use of artificial intelligence in the judiciary. CEPEJ is convinced that the application of these principles will guarantee respect for fundamental human rights, non-discrimination, quality and information security when implementing artificial intelligence in the justice systems of the Member States.
Reference:
The European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) was established on September 1, 2002 in accordance with Council of Europe Committee of Ministers Resolution (2002) 12. The CEPEJ consists of 47 Council of Europe member states. The purpose of CEPEJ is to increase the efficiency of work of the judiciary in the context of the implementation of the standards and recommendations of the CoE.
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