The International Union of Judicial Officers (UIHJ), represented by Patrick Gielen, Secretary-General, and Carlos Calvo, Deputy Treasurer, together with the European Union of Judicial Officers (UEHJ), represented on site by Doreen Donner, Member of the UEHJ, and online by Ilias Tsipos, Vice-President, took part in the 102nd meeting of the European Judicial Network (EJN) in civil and commercial matters, held in Brussels on 22 and 23 October 2025 at the Albert Borschette Conference Centre of the European Commission.
More than 140 participants from Member States, EU institutions and the legal professions attended the meeting to discuss the practical application of Regulations (EU) 2020/1784 on the service of documents (SoD) and 2020/1783 on the taking of evidence (ToE), two cornerstone instruments for the daily work of judicial officers.
The meeting was opened by Ms Pia Lindholm, representative of DG JUST of the European Commission, and Ms Sophie Chaigneau, Secretary of the European Judicial Network. They provided an update on the network’s recent activities and on the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union concerning the two regulations. Several national experiences were shared, including the presentation by Ms Lene Smith Walaas from the Norwegian Ministry of Justice on Norway’s practice in the service of documents and taking of evidence, and an overview of the French “Mind Map” on the cross-border service of documents by Ms Gabrielle Coudin, EJN contact point for France.
The UIHJ, through Patrick Gielen, presented the practical application of the Service of Documents Regulation by judicial officers. He highlighted the central role played by qualified and sworn professionals in ensuring reliability, traceability and legal certainty of cross-border notifications. He also emphasized that the involvement of judicial officers contributes directly to the confidence and efficiency of the European system of justice.
The second day of the meeting focused on the digitalization of the SoD and ToE Regulations, with contributions from Mr Dragos Serban and Ms Haldi Koit of DG JUST. Germany presented its first experiences with the use of the e-Codex system for the electronic transmission of documents, sharing valuable lessons learned from its practical implementation.
At this meeting, the European Commission announced the creation of a working group responsible for drafting a Practice Guide on the Service of Documents Regulation, co-chaired by Apostolos Anthimos and Burkhard Hess. The UIHJ has formally requested to participate in this group in order to contribute the practical expertise of judicial officers and to ensure that the guide becomes a useful and accessible tool for practitioners and citizens, facilitating the effective use of this regulation in daily practice throughout Europe.
Once finalized, this guide will represent an important step towards a more harmonized and efficient application of the Service of Documents Regulation within the European Union, reinforcing legal certainty and public trust in cross-border justice.
