Once again, the UIHJ is associated with a project funded by the European Union. This time, the project concerns the training of judicial officers and notaries on cross-border enforcement of claims in the European Union. It is not surprising that the UIHJ was contacted to participate in this project. Since its inception, training is always at the heart of its concerns and the UIHJ has extensive experience in the field as well as a pool of experts on all continents.
This project, for a period of one year and an amount of nearly 140,000 euros, is 80% financed by the European Union. It was obtained in the framework of the JUST/2011-2012 program. It is led by the Ministry of Justice of Hungary in partnership with the National Chamber of Notaries of Hungary, the National Chamber of Judicial officers of Hungary, the Hungarian Judicial Academy and the UIHJ.
The project aims to organize four seminars of two days of training in Budapest, during the year 2013, at the headquarters of the National Chamber of Judicial officers of Hungary. Each seminar will have fifty participants, judicial officers and notaries, including twenty judicial officers coming from other countries of the European Union than Hungary. Training will be provided by experts from Hungary and other countries of the European Union. The seminars will include lectures and practical case studies and exercises offered by these experts.
To prepare the seminars, the first steering meeting was held on 9 January 2013 in Budapest, at the headquarters of the National Chamber of Judicial officers of Hungary. The meeting was attended by Françoise Andrieux, general secretary of the UIHJ, Mathieu Chardon, 1st secretary of the UIHJ, Gyöngyi Horvath, notary, Nora Klebercz, Ministry of Justice of Hungary, Department of International Cooperation, Aniko Kovacs, notary, Miklos Krejniker, president of the National Chamber of Judicial officers of Hungary, Ildiko Racz, National Chamber of Judicial officers of Hungary, Rita Racz, Ministry of Justice of Hungary, Zoltan Schmidt, National Chamber of Judicial officers of Hungary Tibor Szöcs, notary, and Jos Uitdehaag, 1st secretary of the UIHJ. During this very fruitful meeting, themes and contours of the four seminars were specified.
The first seminar will take place on 21 and 22 March 2013. It will cover the cross-border service of documents in the European Union. Central to this theme is Regulation (EC) 1393/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 November 2007 on the service in the Member States of judicial and extrajudicial documents in civil or commercial matters. All theoretical and practical aspects of this regulation will be discussed, especially when the service is carried out by judicial officers. Emphasis is placed on the type of service that is progressing in Europe, judicial officers being the only ones to offer the degree of certainty which are entitled to expect the citizens in this area. Regulation (EC) 1206/2001 of 28 May 2001 on cooperation between the courts of the Member States in taking of evidence in civil or commercial matters will also be addressed.
The second seminar will be held on 23 and 24 May 2013. Its central theme is the enforcement of foreign judgments in the European Union, through Regulation (EC) 44/2001 of 22 December 2000 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters, also known as Brussels I Regulation. This enforcement will involve both judicial decisions and authentic instruments. The new regulation that will replace Brussels I from 10 January 2015 (Regulation 1215/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2012) will also be discussed.
The third seminar will be held in October 2013. The date will be determined later. Its general theme will involve the cross-border enforcement of judgments and authentic documents apart from the exequatur. It will cover the regulation which partially abolished exequatur (Regulation (EC) 805/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 creating a European Enforcement Order for uncontested claims) and the autonomous enforceable titles established at Community level:
- Regulation (EC) 1896/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2006 creating a European Order for Payment;
- Regulation (EC) 861/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 July 2007 establishing a European Small Claims Procedure
This seminar will also address the issue of mediation.
Finally, the fourth seminar will be held in November 2013. The date will be determined later. The topic will cover the new European regulations currently under construction: the attachment of bank accounts and transparency of assets.
As is often the case, and at the request of the project partners, experts outside Hungary will be proposed by the UIHJ. During the meeting, representatives of the UIHJ did not fail to evoke the UIHJ Stobra projects, which all include a training component. In addition, the Vade-mecum on Regulation 1393/2007 published on the website of the UIHJ, as well as work and studies undertaken by the UIHJ, will constitute training tools that could contribute to the expected success from the future participants.
