16/04/2021
On the 16th of April 2021, First President Chantal Arens brought together the Supreme Courts of Belgium, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, in order to discuss the role of the judge in a supreme court. This meeting, which was held by videoconference due to the health crisis, gathered : Mrs Deconinck Beatrijs, the knight Jean de Codt, respectively First President and President of the Belgian Court of Cassation ; Chief Justice Frank Clarke, President of the Supreme Court of Ireland ; Mr. Luigi Marini, Secretary General of the Supreme Court of Cassation of Italy ; Mrs. Lotty Prussen, judge at the Supreme Court of Luxembourg ; Mrs Dineke De Groot, President of the Supreme Court of Netherlands ; Mr Dimitry Teodor Berberoff Ayuda, judge at the Supreme Tribunal of Spain ; Lord Reed and Lord Sales, respectively President and judge of the Supreme Court of United Kingdom.
The subject of this seminar echoes the work of the committee set up by the First President to conduct a forward-looking study on the future of the Cour de cassation (Court of Cassation) in 2020-2030.
In a context marked by the health crisis, First President Chantal Arens wished to organise a discussion between the supreme courts, in order to share their reflections on the transformations of the environment of the Supreme Court judge and the possible evolution of his role. While the annual meeting of the Network of Presidents of the Judiciary Supreme Court of the European Union had to be postponed, First President Chantal Arens expressed her wish for the Network to take up this topic.
The seminar was structured around speeches from each represented court. Various topics were discussed, such as the impact of digitalisation on the role of the judge or the relationship between supreme courts and other national institutions, in particular with the legislative power. The debates mainly focused on the growing influence of international law within national legal systems: the integration of the European Union and Council of Europe standards, the preliminary ruling dialogue with the Court of Justice of the European Union and the development of globalized litigations.
The discussion highlighted the important evolutions of the role of the Supreme Court judge, resulting from the globalization of law and justice. It also underlined the essential nature of the dialogue between judges in order to adapt to the common challenges faced by supreme courts.
In the light of the richness of the exchanges, it was agreed to organise a new meeting in order to deepen the reflection on the identified themes.
Europe
International