European Study Day at the University of Liege

 

 

The prestigious Academic Hall of the University of Liege welcomed more than 80 participants, judicial officers, legal professionals and students, for this new formula of the Training Days proposed by the UIHJ.

Pascale Lecocq, Dean of the Law Faculty of Liege, honoured the works with her presence and officially opened the Study Day. Frédéric Georges, professor at the University of Liege, then explained the reasons for the cooperation between the Liege University and the UIHJ and the European Union of Judicial Officers (UEHJ), "now the main interlocutor of the profession at European level ". Professor Georges recalled the various works published by the UIHJ. He identified at least two shared aims between the two institutions: the wish to maintain relations with Africa and the desire to promote the way of a legal system of continental law.

Françoise Andrieux, president of the UIHJ, noted that the cooperation agreements between the UIHJ and the universities allowed the meeting between theoretical and practical poles. Referring to the work of the UIHJ, the President of the UIHJ handed to the dean of the Law Faculty a copy of the Global Code of Enforcement. Then Pascale Lecocq and Françoise Andrieux sealed the cooperation agreement between the University of Liege and the UIHJ.

Scientific work began immediately afterwards. Guillaume Payan, Lecturer at the University of Toulon (France), Director of the Legal Unit of the UIHJ, presented the Good Practice Guide on Enforcement adopted on 11 December 2015 by the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice of the Council of Europe (CEPEJ). He then referred to the reforms of Regulations (EC) No 861/2007 (Small Claims) and No 1896/2006 (European Payment Order).

Hakim Boularbah, Professor at the University of Liege, presented Regulation (EU) No 655/2014 of the Parliament and of the Council of 15 May creating a European Order for the Attachment of Bank Accounts, in force since 18 January 2017.

Patrick Wautelet, Professor at the University of Liège, drew up a review of European case law in the field of private judicial law, in particular Regulation (EC) No 1393/2007 on the service in the Member States of judicial and extrajudicial documents in civil and commercial matters.

Aude Berthe, Lecturer at the University of Liège, presented Regulation (EU) No 1215/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2012 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters (Brussels 1bis).

To complete this study day, practise followed theory. Mathieu Chardon, judicial officer (France), Secretary General of the UIHJ, and Patrick Gielen, judicial officer (Belgium), proposed a practical case to the participants covering Regulations 1393/2007, 1215/2012 and 655/2014.

Immediate feedback on this new form of European training of judicial officers was extremely positive. The clarity of the presentations and a practical illustration allowed the participants to broaden their knowledge.

The operation will be renewed soon in Belgium again, this time in the Flemish part and in Dutch only, in Louvain, on 5 May 2017.

The UIHJ remains at the disposal of its member states to organise training sessions in their countries.

Contact: uihj@uihj.com