The Chair of the Chamber of Civil Cases of the Supreme Court Gunars Aigars came back from the forum of commercial judges of member states of the European Union with conclusion that in Latvia, as in a small country, judges have advantage or possibility to create such respectable institution of judicial self-government as national Conference of judges. In big countries, where number of judges reaches several thousands, there is no such possibility.

The independence of courts and judges was the main topic of discussion in running, fifth European forum of commercial judges that took place in Dublin, Ireland, on April 30 and May 1, and to which judges of civil cases of all member states of the European Union had been invited.

The judge of the High Court of England and Wales Burton told about old traditions of England in forming judicial independence and ethics, then followed the discussion, in which participants of the forum gave the benefit of experience of their countries in provision of independence of courts. Gunars Aigars informed on institutions of self-government of Latvian judges – the Conference of judges, Qualification Committee Disciplinary Committee and Committee of Judicial ethics, and colleagues from other states of Europe admitted that to Latvian judges there have been given powerful tools of self-government, it means provision of independence.

European judges gave the benefit of their experience and made discussions on invention and execution of separate Regulas in national courts. Thus the judge of the High Court of England and Wales Steel and judge of Amsterdam court Dineke de Groot managed session about Regula of the Council of European Union Nr. 44/2001 about competence and recognition and execution of judgements in civil cases and commercial cases (also called Brussels I Regula), and judge of the Supreme Court of Italy Renato Rordorf and judge of Germany Hans-Peter Kirchhof – about Regula of European Council Nr. 1346/ 2000 about procedures of insolvency.

G. Aigars admits that although in Latvia at present application of Regula about competence and recognition and execution of judgements in civil and commercial cases and Regula on foreign procedures of insolvency are not very topical, because such cases enter Latvian courts in small quantities, but experience of courts of other countries is useful.

 

Information prepared by

Head of the Division of Communications of the Supreme Court Rasma Zvejniece

E-mail: rasma.zvejniece@at.gov.lv, telephone: 7020396, 28652211