ENCJ WORKING GROUP Quality and Access to Justice 2009-2010 Register Version 1 May 2011 With the support of the European Union Avec le soutien de l’Union européenne 2 REGISTER Working Group on Quality and Access to Justice European Network of Councils for the Judiciary Table of Contents Introductory remarks ............................................................................................................................ 4 1. Financial Hindrances........................................................................................................................ 6 1.1. Court Fees - (variable costs and reimbursement of wins costs ............................................. 6 1.2. Legal assistance (legal aid for free/reduced cost, initial advice and representation) .......... 14 1.3. Impairing by financing systems (insurance, public aid) ..................................................... 23 2. Geographical Hindrances ............................................................................................................... 24 2.1. Size of court districts........................................................................................................... 24 2.2. Number of permanent or temporary court locations within the district .............................. 35 2.3. Facilitating transportation ................................................................................................... 40 2.4. Video conferences ............................................................................................................... 42 2.5. Telephone conferences ........................................................................................................ 46 2.6. Written testimonies ............................................................................................................. 47 3. Physical hindrances ........................................................................................................................ 50 3.1. Location of courts (public transport, parking facilities, etc.) .............................................. 50 3.2. Opening days and hours in the courts ................................................................................. 51 3.3. Access for disabled persons ................................................................................................ 54 3.4. Hearing aid in court rooms.................................................................................................. 56 4. Technological Hindrances.............................................................................................................. 57 4.1. Electronic in- and outgoing communication (fax, e-mail, electronic signature) ................ 57 4.2. Access to information – (internet, pamphlets) .................................................................... 67 5. Psychological Hindrances .............................................................................................................. 75 5.1. Attire and arranging of court rooms .................................................................................... 75 5.2. Information and assistance and explanation of outcome (court decision and others) ........ 79 5.3. Education and survey of judges .......................................................................................... 83 5.4. Treatment of other users of the courts (witnesses) ............................................................. 88 6. Hindrances to Personal Appearance .............................................................................................. 91 6.1. Mandatory professional representation ............................................................................... 91 6.2. Simple procedure cases (family cases, cases involving minor amounts and others) .......... 96 6.3. Practical possibilities for personal appearance ................................................................. 100 6.4. Oral or written opening and procedure ............................................................................. 103 6.5. Requirements to written applications and facilitating by use of blanks and the like ........ 106 6.6. Assistance and guidance by the judge ............................................................................... 110 3 7. Social Hindrances ........................................................................................................................ 112 7.1. Awareness of rights and use of professional language ..................................................... 112 7.2. Linguistic hindrances and hindrances for minority groups, immigrants, and aliens ........ 113 8. Time Hindrances .......................................................................................................................... 121 8.1. Delays................................................................................................................................ 121 8.2. Fast track procedures ........................................................................................................ 135 8.3. Pre-trial evidence .............................................................................................................. 140 8.4. Interim provisions ............................................................................................................. 141 8.5. Injunction .......................................................................................................................... 142 9. Hindrances to Enforcement .......................................................................................................... 144 9.1. Enforcement by bailiffs within the judiciary or by private executors ............................... 144 9.2. Direct enforcement ............................................................................................................ 150 9.3. Execution, eviction etc. on basis of documents or other simple means of proof .............. 153 9.4. Fees, legal aid, time involved and debtors‟ rights............................................................. 157 10. Treatment of Victims of Crime .................................................................................................. 161 10.1. Advice, support and assistance ....................................................................................... 161 10.2. Involvement in proceedings ............................................................................................ 169 10.3. Ability to influence the sentence of the offender ............................................................ 179 10.4. Compensation.................................................................................................................. 182 11. Contact Persons for further details ............................................................................................. 190 11.1. Member States................................................................................................................. 190 11.2. Observers ........................................................................................................................ 191 4 REGISTER Working Group on Quality and Access to Justice European Network of Councils for the Judiciary Introductory remarks When commencing this work the Working Group considered carefully which topics to choose for the research. The Group decided on the topics stated in the headlines below, as they were found to all encompass clear and present issues related to access to justice. The members were asked to give a short description of the hindrance relevant to the situation in their countries and of any initiatives taken by the court system to facilitate access by meeting the hindrance. Some members of the Working Group prefer to use the term “obstacles” rather than “hindrances”, but both address impediments which may be overcome, avoided or mitigated in their effect. The choice of words is therefore not of great significance and both terms appear in this report. The aim of the Register is to mainly be a guide for easy access to further information. The aim is therefore not to have a thorough comparative description of the regulation in each country on each topic. If the reader needs more details please find the contact details of experts on the described activities and initiatives listed at the end of the Register. In their descriptions the members mainly focus on civil cases keeping also the scope of the work – informing of initiatives to meet hindrances to access to justice – in mind. Some contributions do however include information on issues that do not fall within this scope – e.g. information on the rights of the defendant in criminal proceedings. Some contributions contain detailed information on status in the country in question, whereas other contributions have left out information on the topic. The fact that some members have left out in- 5 formation on an issue in the Register does not imply that the country in question does not have a regulation, similar to that described in contributions from other countries. As the aim of ENCJ is to share experience it was decided at the ENCJ General Assembly in London in June 2010 to have the Register continue as a live document and thus to have it both supplemented by contributions from the Members and Observers who did not participate in the Working Group on Quality and Access to Justice and to have it continuously updated by all Members and Observers. The Project Team on Timeliness