CEPEJ Member: Eliane EIJNWACHTER

Ministry of Justice
Postbox 20301
2500 EH THE HAGUE

Deputy Member: Jeannette VERSPUI

Head of the strategy department of the Council of the Judiciary 

The Netherlands - European Cyberjustice Network members (ECN)

Minke STIGTER   
Ministry of Justice and Security of the Netherlands
Kim DE BRUIJN
Ministry of Justice and Security of the Netherlands

National Correspondent

Renate den Bak
Scientific researcher
Scientific Research and Documentation Centre     

Pilot Court

Martina Bijker-Veen

Court president and senior judge

Evaluation Exercise

• Evaluation exercise - 2022 Edition
• Evaluation exercise - 2020 Edition
• Evaluation exercise - 2018 Edition
• Evaluation exercise - 2016 Edition
• Evaluation exercise - 2014 Edition
• Evaluation exercise - 2012 Edition
• Study of 16 comparable countries (by Jean-Paul JEAN, President of the GT-EVAL working group) / 11/2010
• Evaluation exercise - 2010 Edition
• Evaluation exercise - 2008 Edition
• Evaluation exercise - 2006 Edition
• Pilot scheme

Events

• Report - inventory of events organised in the framewrork of the 2011 European Day of Civil Justice (25 October) and Press review (Ajaratve.ge (25/10/2011) - Georgia, Journal online (25/10/2011) - Scotland).

Translations of CEPEJ documents (if available):

• Europees Ethisch Handvest over het gebruik van kunstmatige intelligentie in gerechtelijke systemen en hun omgeving - European Ethical Charter on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Judicial Systems and their environment

Links to relevant Institutions

• Ministry of Justice
• Système judiciaire et Conseil de la Magistrature
• The judicial system of the Netherlands

Resources

• Legal texts (Codes, laws, regulations etc.)
  • Wet- en regelgeving
• Case-law of the higher court/s
  • Rechtspraak
• Other documents (e.g. forms)
  • Rechtspraak

Recent developments in the judicial field

• December 2015 (contribution made during the plenary meeting of the CEPEJ on 10-11 December 2015):
  • At the start of the coalition government Rutte II in 2013 the main priorities to be realised concerning the judicial system between 2013-2017 are:
  • simplification and digitalisation of all civil and administrative proceedings;
  • reform of the legal aid system, of which expenditures are not in control last decade.
  • adjusting court fees, especially an increase for commercial cases with a large financial interest, administrative cases and appeal cases.
  • The state of play concerning these goals in December 2015 is:
  • Law on simplification and digitalisation on civil and administrative proceedings will be introduced in 2016. This law will gradually be Implemented between 2016-2020. The business case forecasts that disposition times of cases will be reduced up to 40%. Reduction of staff will be about 25%.
  • Modernising legal aid by strengthening the first line and excluding some areas for legal aid did not achieve a majority in the senate in February 2015. A commission was installed to analyse the problem of budget expansion in the last years more closely. It reported in November 2015. Policy reaction of government is planned in march 2016.
  • Increase of the court fees did not achieve majority in senate also. This proposal was withdrawn in November 2015.
• A special mention of the Crystal Scales of Justice has been delivered to the Dutch Legal Aid Board (The Netherlands), for the project "Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) for Relational Disputes" (23 October 2015)
• A special mention of the Crystal Scales of Justice has been delivered to the Amsterdam Court of Appeal (The Netherlands) for the initiative European Courts weblog and European law newsletters (16 October 2014)
• The Roadmap to Justice website (presentation at the CEPEJ 22th plenary meeting)
  • presentation by and discussion with Peter vd Biggelaar, Director of the Legal Aid Board in the Netherlands
  • Movie: Roadmap to Justice (Rechtwijzer)
• In 2013 the reform of the judicial map is realised. In order to improve the quality, the number of first instance courts is reduced from 19 to 11. Priorities to be realised in the next years are:
  • simplification and digitalisation of all civil and administrative proceedings;
  • reform of the legal aid system, of which expenditures are not in control;
  • adjusting court fees, especially an increase for commercial cases with a large financial interest, administrative cases and appeal cases.
• Judicial map: in summer 2011 a draft of a bill is sent to parliament in which the number of first instance courts will be reduced from 18 to 10 courts (June 2011)
• Court fees: a draft of a bill introducing cost covering court fees at July 2012 will be sent to Parliament in september 2011 (June 2011)
• As a result of the Salduz-arrest measures will be implemented in order to arrange that a lawyer will be able to be present at police interrogations (June 2011)
• "The Dutch judicial system in a European perspective" - presentation made at the CEPEJ plenary meeting on 9 December 2010 by Dr Frans van der DOELEN, Programme Manager, Department of the Justice System, Ministry of Justice, The Netherlands, Member of the CEPEJ-GT-EVAL
• "How fast can you divorce in Europe" - presentation of the analysis from Dr Ter Voert made at the CEPEJ plenary meeting on 9 December 2010 by Dr Frans van der DOELEN, Programme Manager, Department of the Justice System, Ministry of Justice, The Netherlands, Member of the CEPEJ-GT-EVAL
• Special distinction awarded at the Crystal Scales of Justice in Brussels in June 2009 on the occasion of the Justice Forum for the project European Criminal Law and Humanitarian Rights Chamber by the General Public Prosecutor's Office of the Amsterdam District Court, Criminal Law Department
• The independent commission for the evaluation of the justice system is due to publish its report on 11 December; it has studied the CEPEJ’s report. A debate is under way on the possibility of introducing lay judges.

Organisational chart of the system of justice