At their Council meeting in Luxembourg, the European Ministers of Justice have advocated strengthening the European Judicial Network in Civil and Commercial Matters (EJN). The EJN provides information about important regulations in the national civil and civil procedure law of the Member States, as well as on the structure of their courts and court jurisdiction. German Minister of Justice Brigitte Zypries said, “Within a short period of time, the EJN has become an important source of information for the citizens of Europe. Those who live and work in a European foreign country must be able to inform themselves about the laws of the other Member States. The EJN is indispensable for judges as well. More and more often, judges are required to apply foreign law rather than deciding a case based upon their national law. The EJN enables them to quickly and cheaply receive the information they need via e-mail.”
The EJN has been in existence since 2002. On its Web site (http://ec.europe.eu/civiljustice), information is available particularly on the civil and commercial law of the Member States.For example, citizens can obtain information in all official languages about the assertion of maintenance claims and their calculation, or about opportunities to receive legal aid. The EJN facilitates the work of judges as well. In court proceedings with a foreign dimension, it is often difficult even to find the relevant provisions because most laws are available only in the respective official language.Through the EJN, national contact points have been designated which are available for assistance in such cases. They obtain the requested information from the respective Member State.
In May 2006, the European Commission submitted a report on the functioning of the European Judicial Network and its future perspectives.In commenting on this report, the Ministers of Justice today called for continuing to develop the information offered by the Network.
