The member states of the Association of Supreme Administrative Courts of the European Union develop joint electronic data bases Dec.Nat and JuriFast, therefore employees of departments of documentation provision and analysis of the Supreme Courts were invited to a joint seminar. In the seminar in the Czech Republic, Brno, Vanda Zoldnere, Manager of the Division of Document Administration of the Supreme Court, and Inga Bite Perceva, assistant to the senator of the Department of Administrative Cases, gained new information and experience, too.

The electronic data bases DEC-NAT and Jurifast contain rulings of the Court of the European Community, as well as of the courts of EU member states. Another data base Tour of Europe has been developed and will soon be launched where information on court systems of all the EU states will be available.

Since last year the information in the data base Dec.Nat is being translated also in English, and it is concluded that countries actively use the rulings published in English. However, as I. Bite-Perceva pointed out, the seminar stressed the necessity to improve the system so that through it there would be access to full text of a ruling of a national court in the national language.

The scope of applying the data base JuriFast has improved, as well, however it is still insufficient. In the seminar, the member states were asked to extent information and to enter into the data base rulings in such cases when EU law standards are applied or interpreted by a national court. The courts of the member states have received a questionnaire to see the possibility to review a case in a national court due to a newly discovered fact – an adjudication of the Court of the European Community in a case against another member state. The data of the questionnaire will be summarized and analyzed. In January 2008, In Brussels, a seminar will take place in relation to the problems of EU legislation and legal technique, informs I. Bite-Perceva.

Supreme Court of the Republic of Latvia is a member of the Association of Supreme Administrative Courts of the European Union since 2004. Participation in the Association promotes development of knowledge of judges and court employees by taking part in seminars, conferences, as well as by making use of the joint data bases. Study of opinions of judges of other Supreme Administrative Courts on specific issues regarding application of law standards is efficiently provided by electronic communication system Forums which the judges and employees of the Department of Administrative Cases of our Supreme Court have joined, as well.

 

 

 

 

Information prepared by Division of Communications of the Supreme Court
Author: Rasma Zvejniece, Manager of the Division of Communications of the Supreme Court
E-mail: rasma.zvejniece@at.gov.lv, telephone: 7020396, 28652211