The Ministry of Justice plans to amend the courts' law. The goal is to speed up court proceedings. Over the past 10 years, court cases have become slower.
State fees will increase by 50%. Lay judges will be abolished. Artificial intelligence will start preparing session minutes.
In February, the Ministry of Justice submitted a bill to the government. Its aim is to expedite court proceedings. Court proceedings have slowed down in all court levels.
The processing time for civil cases is 34% longer than in 2020. Criminal cases take 2% longer. Administrative cases take 13% longer.
The slowdown in court proceedings undermines trust. People lose faith in the justice system. The business climate deteriorates.
The draft bill seeks to change court procedural laws. In addition, computer systems need to be improved. Some actions may be moved outside the courts.
Judges need to specialize more. Currently, there are two specialization areas. In the future, there will be nine.
Lay judges will be abolished. Currently, ordinary citizens participate in making court decisions. However, cases have become too complex. Therefore, only professional judges will make decisions in the future.
In civil cases, the aim is to speed up proceedings. Courts will allocate time between complex and simple cases. The draft bill gives judges more time for complex cases.
The threshold for simple proceedings will increase. Currently, the threshold is €3,500. It will rise to €5,000. The goal is to direct people to resolve disputes outside the courts.
Artificial intelligence will prepare session minutes. If corrections are needed, recordings will be used.
State fees will increase by 50%. For example, the fee for a €350 case will rise from €100 to €150. The fee for a €2,500 case will increase from €350 to €525.