The European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice

The "Crystal Scales of Justice" Prize


 

Since 2005, the Council of Europe and the European Commission are organising together a competition to discover and highlight innovative and efficient practices used in European courts for court organisation or for the conduct of judicial proceedings (for example, initiatives devised by a court president, a registry, a Bar) and deserving to be drawn to the attention of policy-makers and the judicial community so as to improve the functioning of the public justice system.

 

In the past, the Prize concerned either criminal (2009) or civil justice (2005, 2006 and 2008). For the first time in 2010, the "Crystal Scales of Justice" Prize covered at the same time the fields of criminal and civil justice. In 2012, for this 6th edition, the Prize will again cover the civil justice field, and in particular innovative practices in the field of civil justice, aimed to improve efficiency and functioning of the judicial system, procedures and the courts' organisation.

 

A representative of each of the 4 selected projects has been invited to the Prize Award ceremony which took place at the main event of the European Day of Civil Justice, in Vilnius, on 25 October 2012.

 

The Winner of the 2012 Edition of the Crystal Scales of Justice Prize in the  Regional Court of Antwerp (Belgium), for his efforts consented to the follow-up of judicial expertises [presentation in French].

Video presentation of the initiative "Follow-up of judicial expertises" from the Regional Court of Antwerp [source: www.klak.be]

Motivation of the jury

 

The three projects that has also been awarded during this ceremony are:


The co-hearing of the judge to family affairs – Auditor of children – Regional Court of Tarascon (France) [presentation in French]


Judicial data warehouse and performance dashboards – Supreme Court of Slovenia (Slovenia)

Motivation of the jury


Lexnet – General Secretariat of justice administration (Spain) - Powerpoint presentation / Video presentation


Usefull ressources

Press release announcing the winner [26 October 2012]

Press release announcing shortlisted projects [15 October 2012]

Programme

 

European Commission - Civil Justice website

 

CIVIL JUSTICE

2012

Rules of the Prize and application form

Contacts


2008

Winner and honoured projects
Picture gallery
Video message by Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, DSG of the Council of Europe [fr]


2006

Winner and honoured projects

Interview of Dr Kirchgatterer on the impact of the prize for the Service§center of Civil and District Court of Linz
Pictures


2005

2005 winner
The 7 honoured projects

 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

2009

Brochure

Winner and honoured projects

Press release

 

CRIMINAL & CIVIL JUSTICE

2010

Winner and selected initiatives, press releases, picture gallery and speeches)

 

European Day of Justice

More information