The UIHJ participated in the 3rd National Congress organised by the French National Chamber of Commissioners of France, on the theme of “A profession in the future”, at the Westin Vendôme hotel in Paris.
The UIHJ was represented by Marc Schmitz, President, Jean-Pierre Herbette, Vice-President and Treasurer of the French National Chamber of Commissioners of Justice (CNCJ), Carlos Calvo, Vice-Treasurer, Paulo Teixeira, member, Mathieu Chardon, Secretary-General, and Françoise Andrieux, Honorary President. The European Union of Judicial Officers was represented by Robert Cicuto, member as well as member of the CNCJ, and Paulo Duarte Pinto, member.
The congress was opened by Benoît Santoire, President of the CNCJ. He ensured that the priority of the CNCJ’s actions was given to modernising training with the creation of the Training School for Employees of Commissioners of Justice (EFSCO). Among the achievements of the CNCJ, he mentioned the Code of Ethics of Commissioners of Justice, which came into force on 1st March 2024, the reform of accounting inspections, in force on 1st January 2025, the new collective agreement of commissioners of justice, the specialisation certificates which cover all the missions of commissioners of justice, or the decree relating to the management of guardianship accounts which now recognises commissioners of justice as qualified professionals. He also emphasised the new ancillary activity of commissioners of justice, that of brokerage of the sale of real estate which they manage. He welcomed the excellent relations with the French Ministry of Justice as well as the presence of the Director of its Civil Affairs and Seal Department (DACS). He stressed the importance of the reform of the attachment on salaries, which is becoming a new activity carried out by the commissioners of justice, the simplified debt recovery project, the generalised electronic invoice, and artificial intelligence. He assured all participants of the total determination of the CNCJ Board. “Justice must remain a benchmark for all our compatriots, a strong, effective institution serving civil harmony and social cohesion“, certified Benoît Santoire. He concluded by stating that the commissioners of justice intend to take their full place, with the Ministry of Justice, in this mission inherent in their conception of public service.
Valérie Delnaud, magistrate and Director of the DACS of the French Ministry of Justice, thanked President Santoire for his remarks. She recalled that the commissioners of justice are the essential links in the chain of the public justice service and that they work daily in contact with their fellow citizens, sometimes in very difficult conditions. “Without your commitment, the work of justice is in vain because it remains unexecuted,” she declared, before discussing in detail the many projects underway between the Ministry of Justice and the CNCJ.
After the presentation of a book “The Commissioners of Justice at the Service of Public Law” published by Dalloz and which focuses on the intervention of commissioners of justice in matters of public law, two round tables followed, the first on the theme of “The Commissioner of Justice, Local Authorities’ Trust and Future Partners” and the second on “Legal Professions, a Vision for the Future“.
The afternoon of 12 December consisted in six master classes:
- “Reinventing the Link Between Commissioners of Justice and Communities: What are the Challenges for the Future?”
- “Artificial Intelligence in the Legal Field: How Far to Go Without Compromising Ethics?”
- “New Practices in Real Estate Brokerage: What Role for Commissioners of Justice?”
- “Attachment of Earning: What New Practices for Optimised Recovery?”
- “From Tradition to Innovation: What Future for Guardianships with CJ TUTELLES?”
- “Fakes and Counterfeiting: Inventories and Statements of Facts of the Commissioner of Justice”
A cocktail dinner was then offered with musical entertainment that was particularly appreciated by all. On 13 December, Sandra Ethève, Laura Chesnel, Mélanie Marir, Gwenaëlle Prenelle and Anthony Pochon, commissioners of justice winners of the Biennial of Commissioners of Justice 2024, presented their project on “Tailored Service of Documents“. It may be recalled that this project was also presented during the Permanent Council of the UIHJ on 28 November 2024 in front of fifty UIHJ member countries, with resounding success.
After the presentation of an audit of the profession, a vibrant tribute was paid to Thierry Bary, General Delegate of the CNCJ, who will retire in September 2025, for the thirty years he has spent serving the profession. Thierry Bary received a long and very warm standing ovation for his total investment in the profession during all these years. In his thanks, he paid a warm tribute to all the presidents of the CNCJ with whom he has worked, including Jean Soulard, who created the UIHJ in 1952 and of which he was the first President, and Jacques Isnard, who was President of the UIHJ from 1994 to 2009. He also thanked at length all the collaborators of the CNCJ whom he called to join him on stage during this moving sequence.
The 3rd National Congress of French Commissioners of Justice, perfectly organised, ended with a particularly rich traditional exchange session between the participants and the CNCJ Board. Mathieu Chardon congratulated the CNCJ on its “Tailored Service of Documents” project and on the new activity of the commissioners of justice concerning the attachment on salaries, which contributes to establishing the sustainability of the profession and which is perfectly in line with the precepts of the CEPEJ Guidelines of 17 December 2009 on Enforcement in that it is aimed at expediting the judicial process and reducing the workload of the courts.
