The UIHJ Attends the First Congress of the French-Speaking Union of Judicial Officers

   

This congress, whose theme was "The judicial officer, a professional looking to the future," was organized for the attention of the judicial officers, the candidates judicial officers and the trainees judicial officers of Belgium.

Also present were the representatives of the National Association of Candidates Judicial Officers (ANCHJ) as well as the representatives of the Conferentie van Vlaamse Gerechtsdeurwaarder (CVG).

During the opening of the congress, its president, Quentin Debray, thanked the participants for attending this important meeting for the profession. He then introduced the speakers: Leo Netten, president of the UIHJ, Emeritus Professor Georges de Leval, and Louis-Raymond Maranda, President of the Chamber of the Judicial Officers of Quebec, secretary of the UIHJ and representative of the National Federation of Trusted Third Parties (FNTC) for North America.

After a brief overview of the history of the profession of judicial officer, Louis-Raymond Maranda mentioned the evolution of the e-judicial officer by the creation of Note-Bene in Quebec, the platform for an electronic service of documents implemented a few months ago. He also showed, through a film, the difficulties in the adoption of the law on the legal framework for information technology. By adopting Nota-Bene, the judicial officers of Quebec encompassed the 2001 Act. This system allows, under this law, to preserve the integrity of the documents and thus ensure security during the transmission of documents.

He emphasized the challenge facing the profession for the years to come. Indeed, the judicial officer should be renewed through the development and the dissemination of this tool. He should take the leadership in the ownership of electronic service or electronic statements of facts... The judicial officer should be at the forefront of the creation of this new technological space.

These developments currently taking place in Quebec are easily transferable to other countries. The body which is able to carry out this reform is undoubtedly the FNTC. The federation may, in its ultimate goal, help establish global standards for secure transmission to establish global standards for electronic archiving.

President Quentin Debray thanked Louis-Raymond Maranda for his brilliant presentation, emphasizing the important responsibility that rests upon the judicial officer who truly holds his future in his hands.

In the second part of the seminar the President of the UIHJ, Leo Netten, introduced the UIHJ to the many Belgian colleagues by masterly looking into its already sixty year old history.

He reminded the Belgian colleagues of its origin, its objectives and its functions. He particularly emphasized the role of the UIHJ within the European institutions such as the CEPEJ, the European Commission, the European Law Institute, as well as international institutions such as the Hague Conference on Private International Law, the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank, all in the sole interest of the profession of judicial officer.

He concluded on the major STOBRA project agreed upon during the Council of the European Presidents of the UIHJ on 5 September 2012 aiming at harmonizing and elevating the profession of judicial officer and enforcement procedures in Europe.

To conclude this very dense congress, Professor Georges de Leval, combining tradition and modernity, introduced an updated summary of the functions of the judicial officer emphasizing the specificity of his function and highlighting some thoughts on his powers.

As regards the specificity of the profession, Professor de Leval noted the need in Belgium to have a status that is better defined. He stressed the function of the judicial officer as a justice representative.

As regards the duties of the judicial officer he underlined the importance of the statement of facts carried out by him, of the document interrupting the prescription implemented by him, as well as the impact of European judicial law on his missions.

Georges de Leval concluded that the judicial officer should remain self-critical and better understand the requirements of his position by being more attentive to the needs of citizens and authorities to better define the quality of the service expected of him. He should ensure to truly and widely become indispensable with a renewed legitimacy as regards his visibility and credibility: "Everything must change so that everything can remain the same" (Lampedusa) in substance but also in appearance. An exciting challenge!