http://www.teismai.lt/ en News of the Judicial System Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:06:38 +0200 Copyright (c) 2007-2010 NCA http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=1737 One of the most important events in the European judicial system - the General Assembly of the European Network of Councils (ENCJ) for the Judiciary (ENCJ) – this summer was held in Vilnius (Lithuania). This forum brought together over 100 representatives of the self-governance institutions of courts from 30 European countries. Participants were welcomed by the President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė, presentations were made by the representatives of the European Commission and Ministry of Justice of Lithuania.At the General Assembly which took place on the 9-10 June, the highest-ranking judges discussed the theme "Challenges and opportunities for the judiciary during the current economic climate". According to this theme was published the "Vilnius Declaration" - a guidance document for courts of European countries regarding the improvement and reform of their performance at the current economic situation. "In preparing this paper we analyzed the current situation and discussed what should be changed in the judicial system in order to improve efficiency judicial performance. The judicial system is one of the economic recovery tools, as well as warranty of citizens rights, so it should work smoothly and efficiently", – presenting the paper said President of the ENCJ. In order to improve the efficiency of the judiciary performance, the Declaration identifies key reforms necessary for the judicial system, promotes alternative dispute resolution method, the enhanced co-operation with the public, application of information technologies and innovations in the field of justice and other measures. Representatives of the European self-governance institutions of courts not only looked for ways how courts can deal with the challenges in the current economic situations, but also worked in specialized working groups. There were discussions on how provide timely and qualitatively justice services to citizens, were consulted on the minimum standards of selection and appointment procedures of the judiciary and on the improvement of qualification. President of the ENCJ Miguel Carmona Rouen pointed out that this year s General Assembly was held in Vilnius because of the initiative and activity of the Judicial Council of Lithuania as well as having in mind a good evaluation of the Lithuanian court system. ENCJ General Assembly of 2012 will be held in Ireland. http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=1737 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0300 http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=950 Mrs. Zita Smirnovienė, the member of the Judicial Council and the chairwoman of the Vilnius Regional Administrative Court, Mrs. Diana Labokaitė, the member of the Judicial Council and the judge of the District Court of Kaunas City and Mrs. Monika Vyšniauskienė, the Head of International Relations division of the National Courts Administration shall participate at the meeting of the project working groups on the implementation of the Strategic plan 2010-2011th of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary (ENCJ) on11–12th October, 2010 in Leuven (Belgium). The member of the Judicial Council and the chairwoman of the Vilnius Regional Administrative Court Mrs. Zita Smirnovienė shall participate at the meeting of the working group "Timeliness" of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary. The main goal of the working group "Timeliness" is to identify the areas in the justice sector in which the best practice should be promoted and to define the ways of doing it. The member of the Judicial Council and the judge of the District Court of Kaunas City Mrs. Diana Labokaitė shall participate at the meeting of the working group “Public and mutual confidence”, which will discuss issues related to the public confidence in the justice system of the European Union. The Head of International Relations division of the National Courts Administration Monika Vyšniauskienė shall participate at the meeting of the working group “Standards for appointments and training etc”. The aim of the working group is the development of representational standards of the justice sector (the judges training, the competence, ethics of judges, etc.) http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=950 Mon, 11 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0300 http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=873 Mr. Artūras Driukas, the chairman of Civil Division of the Court of Appeals of Lithuania, Mr. Kazys Kailiūnas, the judge of the Court of Appeals of Lithuania, Mrs. Sigita Rudėnaitė, the judge of the Supreme Court of Lithuania and Mrs. Asta Virbickienė, the Head of Division of Appeals of the State Patent Bureu of the Republic of Lithuania shall participate at the 15th Symposium of the European Patent Judges on 14-18th September 2010 in Lisbon (Portugal). The topics in discussion will focus in particular on the recent developments in case law regarding the European patents as well as the European Patent Court. During the Symposium, in which, among the European Union countries the representatives from the United States of America, Switzerland, Turkey, Iceland, etc. will participate, themes of patentability with special focus in the medical field, patentability of Computer Implemented Inventions will also be discussed. The event is organized by the European Patent Organisation in conjunction with the Portuguese Institute of Industrial property (INPI), the Centre for Judiciary Studies (CEJ) and the European Patent Office (EPO). The European Patent Organisation is an intergovernmental organisation that was set up on 7 October 1977 on the basis of the European Patent Convention (EPC) signed in Munich in 1973. It has two bodies, the European Patent Office and the Administrative Council, which supervises the Office's activities. The Organisation currently has 37 member states. Since 1982 judges from Member States of the European Patent Organisation have gathered every two years for a symposium to exchange view and experiences in the field of European ant national patent laws. http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=873 Tue, 14 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0300 http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=859 Mrs. Zita Smirnovienė, the member of the Judicial Council and the chairwoman of the Vilnius Regional Administrative Court shall participate at the meeting of the working group "Timeliness" of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary (ENCJ) on 9–10th September, 2010 in Copenhagen (Denmark). This is the first meeting of this working group, which is organized to implement the ENCJ Strategic Plan for 2010-2011. During the meeting the working group will discuss the transfer of best practice and dissemination of quality management, transparency, justice and other areas. The main goal of the working group "Timeliness" - to identify the areas in the justice sector in which the best practice should be promoted and to define the ways of doing it. ENCJ is an organisation uniting the institutions of the EU member states independent from the executive and legislative authorities that are responsible for the support provided to courts for the implementation of independent justice. http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=859 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0300 http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=755 In Lithuania, court hearings are going to be recorded as of July 2010. This will make it possible to have more public access to the court hearings and ensure the prevention of possible violation of the court process and to assure the precision of the minutes. For the moment, the court process is drawn up in records written by the secretaries of the hearings. However, written protocols can not assure publicity and transparency of the court hearings so disputes regarding the precision of the protocol occur very often. These problems could be avoided by audio recording of the court hearing. On July 1st amendment of the Law on Courts will come into force and duty to record court hearings will be obliged. According to the Minister of Justice Remigijus Šimašius, records will allow precisely keep the court process under record and will be good help for the implementation of the administrative control of the court hearings. Audio recording will increase transparency of court hearings, facilitate the settlement of disputes over uncertainties and, control courts’ work and ensure better quality. Records will be used as an additional protocol measure until next year. If Seimas approves, audio records will replace written protocols beginning from January in the courts which will have been ready for the implementation and after one year this going to be implemented in every court. It will allow more effective organization of the work of courts and will guarantee maximum accuracy by perpetuating the court process“ – says R. Šimašius. Instead of 2 million litas planned at the begging of the year, just a bit more than 700 thousand litas will be allocated for the implementation of the requirements of the legislation. Work group which was looking for the optimum decision ascertained that first two alternatives could be implemented not sooner than two years term and investment would be approximately 15 thousand litas for one court hall and it means 10 million litas for all courts. In addition, stationary equipment cannot be installed in every court(about 30 % of courts do not fulfil practical requirements), also it would not be possible to guarantee recording of those hearings which do not take place in court halls. http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=755 Fri, 02 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0300 http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=685 Mrs. Laima Garnelienė, the chairwoman of the Judicial Council, Mr. Boleslovas Kalainis, the member of the Judicial Council, Mr. Kęstutis Vaškevičius, the Director of the National Courts Administration and Mrs. Monika Vyšniauskienė, the Head of International Relations division of the National Courts Administration shall participate at the meeting of the General Assembly of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary on 2-4th June, 2010 in London. During the Assembly the President and the Steering Committee members of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary shall be elected. This year The Judicial Council of Lithuania runs for member of the Steering Committee. On purpose to present Lithuania, as the organizer of the General Assembly of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary of 2011, the representative film shall be shown on the Lithuanian judicial system. The General Assembly of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary will be held in Vilnius in summer of 2011. Also a new website of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary's and Strategic Plan for the year 2010-2011th will be introduced and presentation and discussion of the results of the working groups shall be held in London. http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=685 Mon, 31 May 2010 00:00:00 +0300 http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=585 The member of the Judicial Council, President of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Lithuania, Gintaras Kryževičius, Judges of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Lithuania, Zigmas Levickis and Viktoras Aidukas, also Judge of the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania, Audrius Bakaveckas shall participate at the Seminar of Judges "The entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty and the consequent effects on the court system of the European Union" organized by the European Court of Justice on 22–23 March, 2010 in Luxembourg (The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg). During the Seminar this themes "Organisation and jurisdiction of the Court of Justice", "Organisation and jurisdiction of the General Court", "Organisation and jurisdiction of the Civil Service Tribunal", "Relations between the Court of Justice and national courts and tribunals in the context of preliminary rulings and first experiences of the urgent preliminary ruling procedure" shall be discussed. These themes shall be presented by the Judges of the European Court of Justice. The theme "The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union after the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty" shall also be analyzed. The Judges shall participate at the Hearing before the Grand Chamber of the Court of Justice in Case C-119/09 (Freedom of establishment – Freedom to supply services – Proscription, in respect of the regulated professions, of any general prohibition, whatever the form of commercial practice concerned, or option for the Member States of maintaining general prohibitions in respect of certain commercial practices). Lisbon Treaty entered into force on 1 December 2009. It enables the European Union to have modern institutions and improve the working methods of the European Union to effectively and efficiently deal with today's world. The Lisbon Treaty gives the European Union more democratic legitimacy and opportunity to defend citizens' rights. http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=585 Sat, 20 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=557 Mr. Vytas Milius, the member of the Judicial Council and the chairman of the Court of Appeal ant Mr. Artūras Drigotas the secretary of the Judicial Council and the judge of the Supreme Administrative Court shall participate at the meeting of the working group "The Status of Judges" of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary (ENCJ) on 4–5th March, 2010 in Roma (Italy).During the meeting the topicality of the guaranties of internal and external autonomy of magistrates, the immunity and social welfare also freedom of association of judges shall be presented in detail. States different experiences and news about the economic conditions for members of the judiciary, the financial autonomy and sufficient resources shall be shared, themes related to the disciplinary, suspension and removal shall also be analized.ENCJ is an organisation uniting the institutions of the EU member states independent from the executive and legislative authorities that are responsible for the support provided to courts for the implementation of independent justice.In 2009 at the General assembly of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary confirmed the following working groups for 2009 – 2010: "Mutual Confidence", "Judicial Ethics", "Quality and Access to Justice", "Public Confidence" and "Status of Judges" and two expert groups: "E-Justice", "Criminal Law in the EU". http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=557 Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=545 The member of the Judicial Council, Judge of the Court of Appeal of the Republic of Lithuania, Vigintas Visinskis and the member of the Judicial Council, the chairwoman of the Vilnius Regional Administrative Court, Zita Smirnoviene shall participate at the meeting of the working group “Quality and Access to Justice” of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary (ENCJ) on 25–26 February, 2010 in Roma (Italy). This meeting of working group “Quality and Access to Justice” shall be the last, therefore the final project of the report and the register shall be arranged, its methodology and the presentation of results shall also be revised and improved. The final report, the register and proposals shall be presented at this year General Assembly in London. The other issues related to the activities of ENCJ working group “Quality and Access to Justice” shall be decided and the future work of this working group shall be discussed as well. ENCJ is an organisation uniting the institutions of the EU member states independent from the executive and legislative authorities that are responsible for the support provided to courts for the implementation of independent justice. The General assembly of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary confirmed the following working groups for 2009 – 2010: “Mutual Confidence”, “Judicial Ethics”, “Quality and Access to Justice”, “Public Confidence” and “Status of Judges” and two expert groups. http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=545 Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=537 The specialist of the Division of International Relations of the National Courts Administration, Vytautas Dvareckas participated at the meeting of the working group “Public Confidence” of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary (ENCJ) on 15 th February, 2010 in Warsaw (Poland). During the meeting public confidence to the judiciary and increasing of it were discussed, experiences in ensuring public confidence internationally were analyzed, all proposals as well as other suggestions concerning the content of questionnaire were also disputed in order to compose the Eurobarometer survey about the public confidence. Other issues related to the activities of the working group were decided. ENCJ is an organisation uniting the institutions of the EU member states independent from the executive and legislative authorities that are responsible for the support provided to courts for the implementation of independent justice. http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=537 Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=502 The member of the Judicial Council, Judge of the Court of Appeal of the Republic of Lithuania, Vigintas Visinskis and the member of the Judicial Council, the chairwoman of the Vilnius Regional Administrative Court, Zita Smirnovienė shall participate at the meeting of the working group “Quality and Access to Justice” of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary (ENCJ) on 18–19 January, 2010 in Lisbon (Portugal). During the meeting the report of working group “Quality and Access to Justice”, its methodology and the presentation of results shall be revised and improved. The final report, register and proposals shall be presented at this year General Assembly. The other issues related to the activities of ENCJ working group “Quality and Access to Justice” shall be decided and the future work of this working group shall be discussed as well. ENCJ is an organisation uniting the institutions of the EU member states independent from the executive and legislative authorities that are responsible for the support provided to courts for the implementation of independent justice. The General assembly of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary confirmed the following working groups for 2009 – 2010: “Mutual Confidence”, “Judicial Ethics”, “Quality and Access to Justice”, “Public Confidence” and “Status of Judges” and two expert groups. http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=502 Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=499 The Senior Specialist of the Division of Informatics and Statistics of the National Courts Administration, Donatas Kiauzaris shall participate at the meeting of the expert group "E-Justice" of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary (ENCJ) on 18 January, 2010 in Madrid (Spain). During the meeting the representatives' competence needed to provide information for the European e-Justice portal shall be discussed. The numbering unification of the European countries case law, creation of Thesaurus and metadata strategy and the other issues related to the European case law database transfer shall be considered as well. ENCJ is an organisation uniting the institutions of the EU member states independent from the executive and legislative authorities that are responsible for the support provided to courts for the implementation of independent justice. The General assembly of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary confirmed the following working groups for 2009 – 2010: "Mutual Confidence", "Judicial Ethics", "Quality and Access to Justice", "Public Confidence" and "Status of Judges" and two expert groups: "E-Justice", "Criminal Law in the EU". http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=499 Mon, 18 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=486 Mr. Vytas Milius, the member of the Judicial Council and the chairman of the Court of Appeal ant Mr. Artūras Drigotas the secretary of the Judicial Council and the judge of the Supreme Administrative Court shall participate at the meeting of the working group "The Status of Judges" of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary (ENCJ) on 14–16th January, 2010 in Roma (Italy). During the meeting, the regulation of the Judicial Career in European countries and questions related to it shall be presented in detail. States different experiences and news about it shall be shared. The other issues related to the activities of the ENCJ working group "The Status of Judges" shall be decided as well. ENCJ is an organisation uniting the institutions of the EU member states independent from the executive and legislative authorities that are responsible for the support provided to courts for the implementation of independent justice. In 2009 at the General assembly of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary confirmed the following working groups for 2009 – 2010: "Mutual Confidence", "Judicial Ethics", "Quality and Access to Justice", "Public Confidence" and "Status of Judges" and two expert groups: "E-Justice", "Criminal Law in the EU". http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=486 Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=442 The judge of the Supreme Court of Lithuania Algis Norkūnas and the chairman of the Division of Civil Cases of the Court of Appeal of Lithuania Artūras Driukas shall participate at the meeting of the members of the European Judicial Network in Civil and Commercial Matters (further on - Network) on 14-15th December, 2009 in Hague (Netherlands). During the meeting the experience of states and the application problems of Regulation (EC) No 1896/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2006 creating a European order for payment procedure, Regulation (EC) No 805/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 creating a European Enforcement Order for uncontested claims shall be presented. Issues related to the taking of evidence in mutual legal assistance shall also be discussed. Future perspectives of the Network shall be presented and other important questions shall also be analyzed. The Network is responsible for facilitating the judicial cooperation between the Member States in civil and commercial matters, including designing, progressively establishing and updating the information system for the members of the Network, also designing, progressively establishing and updating the information system accessible to the public. The Network was established by the decision of the Council of the European Union on 28th May 2001 No. 2001/470/EC. Additional information about the Network you can find on http://ec.europa.eu/civiljustice/ . http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=442 Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=413 The specialist of the Division of International Relations of the National Courts Administration, Vytautas Dvareckas shall participate at the meeting of the working group “Public Confidence” of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary (ENCJ) on 30 th November, 2009 in Warsaw (Poland). During the meeting public confidence to the judiciary and increasing of it shall be discussed, experience in ensuring public confidence in the single countries shall also be analyzed. The future work of the ENCJ working group “Public Confidence” shall be disputed and other issues related to the activities of the working group shall be decided. ENCJ is an organisation uniting the institutions of the EU member states independent from the executive and legislative authorities that are responsible for the support provided to courts for the implementation of independent justice. In 2009 at the General assembly of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary confirmed the following working groups for 2009 – 2010: “Mutual Confidence”, “Judicial Ethics”, “Quality and Access to Justice”, “Public Confidence” and “Status of Judges” and two expert groups: “E-Justice”, “Criminal Law in the EU”. http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=413 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=389 Mrs. Sigita Vainauskienė and Mrs. Daiva Pranytė-Zalieckienė, judges of the Vilnius Regional Court shall participate in the Expert meeting on mutual recognition of confiscation orders, which will take place on 19th November, 2009 in Brussels (Belgium).During the meeting proper implementation of the Framework Decisions shall be discussed, which the European Commission attaches high importance and practical experiences of proper implementation of the Framework Decision on the application of the principle of mutual recognition to confiscation orders shall also be exchanged. Discussion with the Member States of practical issues and challenges posed by implementation of the Framework Decision regarding mutual recognition of confiscation orders shall be disputed.Framework decisions are used to align the laws and regulations of the Member States. Proposals are made on the initiative of the Commission or a Member State and they have to be adopted unanimously. They are binding on the Member States as to the result to be achieved but leave the choice of form and methods to the national authorities. http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=389 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=359 Ms. Diana Labokaitė, the member of the Judicial Council and the judge of Kaunas district court shall participate at the meeting of the Permanent Commission for Internal Affairs of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary (further on – ENCJ) in Brussels (Belgium) on 8–9th November, 2009. During the meeting SWOT analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of ENCJ shall be discussed, which was accomplished by answers given of ENCJ members and was related to the present, future and prospective strategic plans of the ENCJ. Subsequently, in conformity with this analysis a draft of the Mission, Vision and Strategic goals shall be adopted. In 2008 at the General Assembly of the Network three permanent commissions have been established: Internal Affairs, EU policies and Communication commissions. The objective of these commissions is to improve the work of the Network and ensure more coordination in its work. http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=359 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=360 Mr. Vytas Milius, the member of the Judicial Council and the chairman of the Court of Appeal ant Mr. Artūras Drigotas the secretary of the Judicial Council and the judge of the Supreme Administrative Court shall participate at the meeting of the working group „Status of Judges“ of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary (ENCJ) on 12-13 th November, 2009 in Roma (Italy). During the meeting overview of the International sources defining The Status of Judges shall be discussed, national rules concerning the judiciary’s independence safeguard in the single countries shall also be analyzed. The future work of the ENCJ working group “Status of Judges” shall be disputed and other issues related to the activities of the working group shall be decided. ENCJ is an organisation uniting the institutions of the EU member states independent from the executive and legislative authorities that are responsible for the support provided to courts for the implementation of independent justice. In 2009 at the General assembly of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary confirmed the following working groups for 2009 – 2010: “Mutual Confidence”, “Judicial Ethics”, “Quality and Access to Justice”, “Public Confidence” and “Status of Judges” and two expert groups: “E-Justice”, “Criminal Law in the EU”. http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=360 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=292 The Senior Specialist of the Division of Informatics and Statistics of the National Courts Administration, Donatas Kiauzaris shall participate at the meeting of the expert group „E-Justice“ of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary (ENCJ) on 15 October, 2009 in Madrid (Spain). During the meeting the future work of the ENCJ expert group “E-Justice”, the possibilities and application problems of the European Case Law Identifier (ECLI) shall be discussed and other issues related to the activities of the expert group shall be decided. Members of the expert group shall have to present the practice of their state related to the topic and suggest possible solutions of integration with the ECLI. ENCJ is an organisation uniting the institutions of the EU member states independent from the executive and legislative authorities that are responsible for the support provided to courts for the implementation of independent justice. The General assembly of the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary confirmed the following working groups for 2009 – 2010: “Mutual Confidence”, “Judicial Ethics”, “Quality and Access to Justice”, “Public Confidence” and “Status of Judges” and two expert groups: “E-Justice”, “Criminal Law in the EU”. http://www.teismai.lt/newsletter.php?page=292 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0300