the Virtues of the liberal statute
The annual congress of the National Union of the Judicial Officers of Romania was the occasion to commemorate the 5th birthday of the creation of this Union.
The demonstration took place within the prestigious building of the old Parliament in Bucharest where nearly 150 judicial officers gathered to the attend the meeting opened by president Mihai Ducu in the presence of many representatives of the authorities: Mr. Codescuion, State Secretary for the integration to the European Union, Ramona Bulcu, representative of the General Attorney, Flavires A. Baias, professor, and Valeria Puiu, director of the legal professions.
Mihai Ducu in his speech reviewed the activities of the NUJO during these last months. He put forward the virtues of the liberal statute, while insisting on its instigating character and the need for continuing to militate for its extension to all Europe.
“It is thanks to the liberal mode of our statute, he insisted, that the profession could progress in such a significant way in a just few years. It is also thanks to a rigorous statute, in terms of requirements on competences of the judicial officers, that the level of knowledge was raised and that the training has become a capital element in the active life of the judicial officers.
But the Romanian Union also consists in the organisation of conferences on various occasions. On this subject, President Mihai Ducu recalled the success of the seminar of Constanza (July 21/23, 2005) like that of the conference given during the creation of the Proficiency Centre on 28 October 2005 and finally the meeting in April in Bucharest. Mihai Ducu still recalled the presence of the judicial officers of Romania to the various conferences organised abroad (as Slovakia and in Rheims in France).
A Romanian judicial officer at the board of the UIHJ
Continuing his review, the president reported by the detail the course of the congress of Washington (April 25/28) with the election at the board of the UIHJ of Adrian Stoica. This vote was appreciated as a large mark of consideration with regard to Romania by the 46 countries which took part in the poll.
Lastly, the Romanian president enclosed his remarks by announcing the choice of Bucharest by the UIHJ for the organisation of the UIHJ Europe-America permanent council in May 2007.
Jacques Isnard, president of the UIHJ has cordially congratulated the Romanian Union for the width on the work achieved for 5 years and exalted the benefits of the liberal profession, in particular in Romania, where the projections were considerable with the creation of the Proficiency centre and the international opening. He greeted the first publication in Europe of a bilingual (Romanian and French) International judicial and enforcement magazine which - was he to underline - in addition opens its columns to many foreign authors.
Major changes
The president of UIHJ insisted on the major changes which are profiled within the profession by drawing the portrait of the European judicial officer of the future years with omniscient and multi-field aspects and no more solely attached to the functions of enforcing decisions and serving documents.
Mr Isnard still insisted on the noble causes which serve the prestige of the judicial officer: fight against corruption and money laundering, active support to the rules towards legal security, implementation of a progressive and genuine international law of enforcement.
He concluding with a wish, “It is the last time that I express myself in front of the Romanian judicial officers. Next year, if I have again the honour to be invited to your congress, undoubtedly then I will address to you as European judicial officers.”
In this respect, Mr Isnard warned the profession on the need for very quickly adapting to the Community texts which will come into effect as of the accession of Romania to the EU.
A support of the Proficiency Centre by the Romanian Government
It was then the turn of Mr. Codescuion, Secretary of State for the integration at the EU, to speak to consolidate the remarks of the president of the UIHJ, being the application in Romania as of 1 next January of the European texts.
The Secretary of State mentioned the problems of the profession, dependent on specificities of the country and the distrust of the citizens with regard to the judicial system in general.
Mr. Codescuion cordially congratulated the Romanian Union for its international action and was delighted by the election of Adrian Stoïca at the board of the UIHJ. Regarding the international field he invited the profession to open still more towards the neighbouring countries to develop their partnerships and to draw knowledge from other legislations, which is a source of possible inspirations for the Romanian legislator.
He ensured president Ducu of the support of the Government in the activity of the new proficiency centre which could also welcome other professions as well as foreign judicial officers.
In conclusion, the representative of the government invited the judicial officers to look further into their thoughts to fully get involved in the EU.
France at the sides of Romania
Paul Rochard, president of the National Chamber of Judicial Officers of France (NCJO) was to take the floor after the Secretary of State to announce his emotion to speak for the first time, since the beginning of his mandate, for the French judicial officers to a foreign ground and to say how much he was pleased to be on the Romanian territory of which he appreciated the culture being very close to France.
The intervention of the French president, primarily centred on the activity of the judicial officer, was to be declined in three points:
1. - plenitude of the execution and search for information
2. - debt recovery
3. - extended activities, in particular to the auction sales public
Moreover, Mr Rochard explained the concept of the French system of the judicial officer: pyramidal organisation - liability - credit guaranty institution - security...
Drawing up a comparison between the Romanian and French modes, he put forward the similarity of the two systems and proposed the co-operation of the NCJO for an exchange of views on the effectiveness of enforcement measures.
He finished his remarks by affirming that France would always remain at the sides of Romania to help it to fill its objectives and fixed an appointment: that of January 1, 2007, date of the entry in the EU of Romania.
Prospects for the right of enforcement in Romania
The ceremony was completed by the short speeches pronounced by Mrs. Ramona Bulcu, representative of the General Attorney, who stressed the international action and on the efforts of the Romanian Union in favour of training.
Mrs. Bulcu congratulated President Ducu for the rise taken by the proficiency centre and for the quality on the new bilingual international magazine of which she appreciated the articles in particular those published by the foreign authors.
Finally professor Flavius A. Baias concluded the meeting by drawing a short history of the profession and by drawing up its characteristics. He said that the profession had to remain very attentive to the threats that are menacing it, because nothing is acquired forever, he stated.
After president Ducu had pronounced the end of this closing ceremony, a delegation consisting in Presidents Isnard, Rochard and Ducu was greeted successively by Mrs. K. Barbara Kibedi, State Secretary for justice and Serge Andon, President of the Commission of the laws, for a vast exchange of views on the international aspect of the profession and the prospects for the right of the enforcement in Romania after its adhesion to the EU.
He finished his speech by affirming that France would always remain at the sides of Romania to help it to fill its objectives and fixed an appointment: that of January 1, 2007, date of the entry in the EU of Romania.
