From 6 to 9 May 2026, the International Union of Judicial Officers held its Spring Council in Tbilisi, Georgia, bringing together more than one hundred representatives of the profession from over 30 countries. This major institutional gathering provided an opportunity to address the current major challenges of justice and enforcement in an international context marked by the growing digitalization of procedures, the emergence of artificial intelligence and the evolution of the role of the legal professions.
The work began on 6 May with the meeting of the UIHJ Bureau and the Executive Committee of the UEHJ. The discussions focused on the governance of the organization, relations with international and European institutions, ongoing cooperation projects in Mongolia and Laos, European training and artificial intelligence projects, as well as the work relating to the Global Code of Enforcement and the evolution of international professional standards. Significant attention was also devoted to cooperation with the European institutions, the Council of Europe, UNCITRAL, the Hague Conference on Private International Law, ERA, EIPA and numerous partner organizations.
On 7 May, the international conference organized by the Georgian National Bureau of Enforcement was held around the theme: “The Transforming Role of the Judicial Officer in Contemporary Justice”. The conference was opened by Paata Salia, Minister of Justice of Georgia, alongside Lasha Modzghvrishvili, Director of the NBE, and Marc Schmitz, President of the UIHJ. The various panels provided an opportunity to address issues relating to ethics, trust in justice, technology, online auctions, evictions, as well as the impact of artificial intelligence on the future of the profession.
On the afternoon of 7 May, a delegation composed of Marc Schmitz, President of the UIHJ, Jos Uitdehaag, First Vice-President of the UIHJ, Ilias Tsipos, Vice-President of the UEHJ, and Patrick Gielen, Secretary General of the UIHJ, was received at the Georgian Ministry of Justice by the Minister of Justice, Paata Salia. This particularly enriching institutional meeting provided an opportunity to exchange views on the evolution of the profession of judicial officer in a world where digitalization and new technologies occupy an increasingly important place. The discussions focused on the digital transformation of justice, the use of artificial intelligence in judicial and enforcement proceedings, as well as the need to preserve citizens’ trust in the legal professions within a technological environment in constant evolution.
On 8 May, the UIHJ Spring Council made it possible to review all the organization’s activities since the Permanent Council of November 2025. The delegations exchanged views on the many international projects carried out by the UIHJ, relations with European and international institutions, judicial training programs, work relating to artificial intelligence, the enforcement of judicial decisions on digital assets, European reforms in civil justice, as well as future international cooperation projects. The discussions also focused on the work of the UIHJ Scientific Council, the activities of the Innovation Team, university collaborations, relations with the CEPEJ of the Council of Europe, the European Commission, the HCCH, UNCITRAL, UNIDROIT and the European Law Institute. Finally, the participants discussed the profession’s next major international events, particularly the Lisbon International Congress 2027.
Beyond the richness of the institutional work, this international gathering was marked by the exceptional welcome extended by the Georgian authorities and by the National Bureau of Enforcement of Georgia. The participants unanimously praised the commitment of Lasha Modzghvrishvili, Chairman of the NBE, the remarkable organizational work of Ana Arabuli, International Relations Development Manager within the NBE, as well as the presence and availability of all the Georgian colleagues mobilized for this event.
The Spring Council closed on 9 May with a magnificent cultural day enabling the foreign delegations to discover the richness of Georgian heritage, the hospitality of the country and the human warmth of its inhabitants, thus contributing to the success and particularly convivial atmosphere of this 2026 edition of the UIHJ Spring Council.
