Justice and Home Affairs Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici has put forward three proposals intended to enhance and increase the use of video-conferencing in cross border legal cases. The proposals were submitted during an informal meeting of the EU’s Justice Council in Prague.

The use of video-conferencing in cross-border cases in the EU’s territory was the dominant theme in today’s Council discussion on the field of e-justice.

During his presentation, Dr Mifsud Bonnici described video-conferencing as an increasingly important tool for the legal systems. He said that in view of the fact that the use video-conferencing was likely to continue increasing, member states should be mindful of the legal aspects of the changes in the due process of law. He urged the Presidency to draft a directive that focused on the respect of the due processes of law in such cases.

The minister also urged the Council to explore further the use of video-conferencing in mediation and arbitration processes, as well as the use of this tool in cases related to children – an area which was already extensively developed in Malta.

Other items on today’s informal council meeting agenda were the principle of mutual recognition in criminal matters. The future of family law and the law of succession in a Europe, where the free movement of persons leads to an increase in social relations and marriages between persons from different member states, was also discussed.