e-Justice governance in the EU

Technology use has been seen as a way to make access to justice easier, faster, and more efficient. In the EU, e-justice actions have been centred around supporting activities leading to building up access to legal information, access to courts and extrajudicial procedures in a cross-border setting, and communication between judicial authorities. These actions have led to three main e-justice developments: the e-Justice Portal, the e-CODEX system, and the ODR Platform. All three are large complex systems of heterogeneous components managed by the European institutions with the collaboration and support of EU Member States, national and/or local authorities, professional bodies, and even private businesses. Due to EU’s limited competencies in the area, developments depend significantly on the existence of national ICT systems and digital justice achievements, and the Member States’ willingness to be involved in actions that enhance cross-border interoperability. This leads to multilevel governance structures with actors having different roles and competencies at national and European level. The e-Justice Portal, the e-CODEX system, and the ODR Platform are the first European models of e-justice architectural choices and governance. This chapter studies these systems’ governance, the roles various actors play, the challenges encountered, and the existing interactions before looking towards future developments and solutions for the governance of large multilevel e-justice systems