The International Union of Judicial Officers (UIHJ), represented by Marc Schmitz, President, Patrick Gielen, Secretary General, and Luis Ortega, Adviser to the President, took part in the 9th Congress of the OSAE (Order of Solicitors and Enforcement Agents), held in Évora on 16, 17 and 18 October 2025.
The event, held under the theme of innovation and interprofessional dialogue, opened with an official ceremony at the Arena of Évora, attended by numerous Portuguese and international authorities. The Bastonária of the OSAE, Anabela Veloso, welcomed participants, followed by addresses from Ana Catarina Ferreira, Presiding Judge of the Judicial Court of Évora, Marc Schmitz, President of the UIHJ, Ricardo Garrido Rodríguez, President of the General Council of Spanish Prosecutors, and Neemias Ramos Freire, Director for Institutional and International Relations of FENASSOJAF (Brazil).
The congress, rich and diversified, offered separate sessions for solicitors and for enforcement agents, reflecting the complementarity of the two professions. The enforcement agents’ debates focused on innovation in the service and sale procedures, international cooperation, and the modernisation of enforcement practices, while the solicitors’ sessions addressed the modernisation of public services, land and urban regularisation, and the evolving roles of legal professionals in digital transformation.
The second day, dedicated to joint discussions, highlighted modernisation, digitalisation and cybersecurity in the justice system, and concluded with a high-level debate entitled “Justice and the Future: if artificial intelligence has decided, is it decided?”, bringing together representatives of the main legal professions in Portugal.
The participation of the UIHJ in this congress reflects the strong friendship and lasting cooperation between Portuguese legal professionals and the international community of judicial officers, in the shared pursuit of a modern, ethical and innovative justice.
