Latvia will be represented in Association of European Judges for Mediation (GEMME) also in future, as new Board was elected in General Assembly of the Association in Paris on May 10-13, and Zane Petersone, executer of duties of a judge of the Supreme Court, was elected in composition of the Board.

New president and his deputies were elected in meeting of the Board and representatives of member states of GEMME, The new president is Jaime O. Cardona Ferreira from Portugal. In sessions of the Board and representatives of member states of GEMME main questions were related to development of association, activities planned, visions about directions of operation of GEMME needed, inter alia, attraction of new member states, also from outside Europe. Next meeting and conference that will take place in November, 2012, in Sofia, Bulgaria, and events dedicated to the 10th anniversary of GEMME that will take place in December, 2013, in Paris, France, were also discussed.

Symposium “Prospects of court mediation” took place simultaneously with GEMME’s General Assembly and sessions of the Board and representatives of member states of association.

Significant part of symposium was dedicated to experience exchange among countries about best practices related to mediation in commercial cases, criminal cases and administrative cases. Zane Petersone presented report on operation of mediation in criminal cases in Latvia. In our country, mediation and its regulation in criminal cases that is offered by the State Probation Service is progressive and it may become an example for other countries, - the judge pointed out.

Association of European Judges for Mediation/Groupement Europeen des Magistrats pour la Mediation (GEMME) is nongovernmental organisation founded according to French law, and it unites judges of European countries to promote development and application of mediation.

 

 

 

Information prepared by

Rasma Zvejniece, the Head of the Division of Communication of the Supreme Court

E-mail: rasma.zvejniece@at.gov.lv, telephone: 67020396, 28652211