News from the CCBE

11 May 2012 – The CCBE Plenary Session in Vienna started with video-messages from Othmar Karas, MEP and Viviane Reding, Vice-Presidents respectively of the European Parliament and the European Commission. In his message, Mr Karas stressed the need to think ‘more European‘ when considering fundamental rights and the rule of law, and he thanked the CCBE for its support in this area. Ms Reding acknowledged the need to safeguard the independence of justice in the context of economic and financial reforms, yet underlined the need for some countries to modernize their systems. In particular, she highlighted the importance of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and mediation to reduce backlog, reduce costs and improve access to justice, and said she counted on the CCBE’s support.

At the same Plenary, the main elements of the CCBE response on the proposed Directive on ADR and proposed Regulation on Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) for consumer disputes were approved. The text of the response is currently being finalised – link to follow.

A report on CCBE policy for future projects was also approved. ... [+]