The European Network of Councils for the Judiciary’s met in Warsaw between 1st and 3rd June 2016. The meeting was chaired by the President of the ENCJ, Mr. Geoffrey Vos and Mr.DariuszZawistowski, Chairman National Council of the Judiciary of Poland. The event was an important step towards enhancement and streamlining of judicial procedures in the EU. The participants had an opportunity to listen to many distinguished speakers, among whom was Professor Richard Susskind - an author, speaker, and independent adviser to major professional firms and to national governments. His main area of expertise is the future of professional service and, in particular, the way in which the IT and the Internet are changing the work of lawyers. The topic of his presentation was: ”A justice system for 2035 – a citizen’s perspective”. Professor Susskind raised a lot of important issues, such as the use of Artificial Intelligence in law, e-discovery and on-line dispute resolution, after which a fierce debate followed.

Moreover, during the Warsaw Assembly the ENCJ adopted the Warsaw declaration on the Future of Justice in Europe. Following the ENCJ website,

“In the declaration the ENCJ amongst others recognises that the administration of Europe’s justice systems in the 21st century will change radically as a result of the use of information and communication technology. It looks forward to the use of online dispute resolution and other technologies to deliver justice more effectively and quickly and at lower cost to all European citizens. It will still be essential for the ENCJ and its members and observers to maintain and strengthen the independence and accountability of judiciary for the benefit of European citizens in order to ensure that they have effective access to justice.

In relation to the developing situation in Poland, the ENCJ emphasises the importance of the executive respecting the independence of the judiciary, and only undertaking reforms to the justice system after meaningful consultation with the Council for the Judiciary and the judges themselves.”

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