International legal cooperation in civil matters

In June and July, one of the activities being carried out within the framework of the project entitled “Improving the Efficiency of Pre-Service Training for Judges and Prosecutors” will be focused on exchanging experiences related to judicial cooperation in civil matters between Spain and Turkey. 

This twinning project between these two countries, which is funded by the European Union and managed by FIIAPP, began in 2019 with the aim of improving the efficiency of the training given to future judges and prosecutors before their professional practice. The training, which seeks to disseminate European standards thanks to the knowledge provided by the Spanish experts, aims to improve the independence, quality, effectiveness and efficiency of the judiciary. 

The target audience for this training has, currently, increased to a figure of around 1,000 judges and prosecutors, indicating it has been highly successful. The exchange of experiences between the Spanish and Turkish sides is achieved by the participation of speakers and participants in contributing to debates, knowledge and documents relating to the project for all the activities. 

This serves to highlight a common reality for Justice in the international arena, as indicated by the project coordinator, Juan Carlos da Silva, “we are facing a world without borders; globalisation and mobility have impacted directly on national judicial systems.” 

Justice administration professionals in each country are trained in their national legal systems, however, the exponential increase in cases involving elements related to foreign jurisprudence in judicial cases represents a challenge to be taken into consideration. In this regard, the training’s aim is to show that international cooperation between legal systems is essential for communication between parties and thus for improving the quality of the future decision-making by the professionals participating in the training. 

The activity, led by four Spanish experts from the General Council of the Judiciary, aims to provide participants with theoretical and practical knowledge on international legal cooperation in civil matters, which includes commercial, contractual, family and consumer matters, among others. Likewise, the subject of Mutual Legal Assistance at the European level is addressed, in line with the regulations and standards established by the Council of Europe and the European Union. 

Given the current restrictions due to COVID-19, this training is carried out remotely, with simultaneous interpretation.