EU justice policy: the way forward

This European Commission communication sets out the political priorities with respect to making further progress towards a common European area of justice based on trust, mobility and growth by 2020.

ACT

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: The EU justice agenda for 2020 - Strengthening trust, mobility and growth within the Union (COM(2014) 144 final of 11.3.2014).

SUMMARY

KEY POINTS

European Union justice policy must ensure that individuals and businesses can benefit fully from a trusted and fully functioning common European area of justice.

This communication presents the Commission’s vision for the future of EU justice policy in the form of an EU justice agenda for 2020.

Trust, mobility, growth: three key challenges need to be addressed in order to create a common area of justice by 2020, as shown below.

• Mutual trust: this is the bedrock on which EU justice policy should be built. Instruments such as the European Arrest Warrant or rules on conflict-of-laws issues between EU countries require a high level of mutual trust between national justice authorities. Citizens, legal practitioners and judges must also be able to fully trust judicial decisions taken by other EU countries.
• Mobility: Europeans are increasingly taking advantage of the rights conferred on them by the EU treaties. There are currently nearly 14 million EU citizens residing in a EU country of which they are not nationals. However, they still face practical and legal problems when they travel, study, marry, form a family and buy and sell products and services in other EU countries. Justice policy should continue to remove obstacles to EU citizens exercising their right to move freely and live in any EU country.
• Growth: EU justice policy should continue to support economic recovery and growth and continue to tackle unemployment. Structural reforms need to be pursued so as to ensure that justice systems are capable of delivering swift, reliable and trustworthy justice. Businesses and consumers need to be confident that they will be able to effectively enforce contracts and handle disputes in court, or where possible out of court, throughout the EU, within a reasonable amount of time.

EU justice agenda for 2020

The Commission proposes tackling these challenges by means of the following methods or a combination of these.

• 1

  Consolidate the existing legal framework: this would ensure that effective remedies are respected and that EU fundamental rights are defended. Efforts are also needed to improve the use of e-justice and to train judges and legal practitioners.

• 2

  Codify EU law and practice: this would ensure that EU law is clearer and more consistent for citizens and businesses.

• 3

  Complement the existing legal framework: where appropriate, new initiatives that facilitate citizens’ lives and further contribute to economic growth should be envisaged.

More information can be found on the Commission’s Directorate-General for Justice website or the Commission’s Effective Justice Newsroom website.

See also the Commission’s memo on the future EU justice and home affairs agendas.

RELATED ACT

Extract from the 26-27 June 2014 European Council conclusions concerning the area of freedom, security and justice and some related horizontal issues (OJ C 240, 24.7.2014, pp. 13-15).

last update 26.12.2014