Action grants to support national or transnational e-Justice projects

Topic description

Scope:

1.1. Priorities

The objective is to contribute to achieving the objectives of the European e-Justice Strategy 2014-2018. It will support the implementation of e-Justice projects within the European e-Justice Portal and at national level, in as far as they have a European dimension.

The priority is to support the implementation of a platform for Mutual Legal Assistance requests regarding e-evidence, in line with the Conclusions of the Council of the European Union on improving criminal justice in cyberspace, adopted on 9 June 2016 and the maintenance and evolution of the system for online exchange between judicial authorities – e-CODEX.

Moreover, priority will be given to projects aiming at joining or enhancing existing or on-going e-Justice portal projects, in particular:

• Interconnection of National Insolvency Registers (IRI) further to Regulation (EU) 848/2015;

• Find a Lawyer (FAL);

• Find a Notary (FAN);

• Find a Bailiff (FAB);

• Implementation of the European Case Law Identifier (ECLI) in case law repositories and interconnection with the e-Justice Portal;

• Land Registers Interconnection (LRI);

• European Court Database;

• Other e-Justice portal projects related to development of the relevant EU policies, such as victims' rights, rights of suspects and accused in criminal proceedings, and projects which are in advanced stage of development or already live on the Portal at the moment when the call is published.

Transnational projects will receive a higher priority than national ones. Other projects which support the implementation of the e-Justice Strategy 2014-2018^[1] and its Action Plan will not be excluded. Applications related to projects having an A-priority under the Council e-Justice Action Plan^[1] will be given priority over those having a B-priority.

1.2. Description of the activities

Project activities under this call would in principle include analytical, conceptual, design and elaboration work, IT software development, quality assurance and related auxiliary measures necessary for the establishment of new IT systems, as well as the expansion and adaptation of existing national and transnational solutions towards addressing the objectives of the call. The requirements of the eIDAS Regulation^[1] and the use of CEF Digital Building Blocks should be taken into account.

Activities relating to project management, content preparation, editorial work, communication, promotion and dissemination are also eligible for funding.

Projects which are funded, either fully or partially, in the context of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) e-Justice DSI calls or other EU funding mechanisms will not be eligible for funding.

Activities must take place in countries participating to the JUSTICE Programme to be eligible for funding (See eligibility criteria and Annex on Financial Provisions).

1.3. Expected results

• Implementation of a platform for Mutual Legal Assistance requests regarding e-evidence

• Improved participation with the aim of achieving full EU coverage concerning all voluntary e-Justice interconnection projects – Find a lawyer, Find a notary, ECLI, LRI, etc.;

• Reduced risks and possibility to allow Member States to achieve early compliance with the requirements of Regulation (EU) 2015/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2015 on insolvency proceedings;

• Possibility to launch potentially innovative projects and best practices concerning access to and the administration of justice at a national and in a cross-border context;

• Improved awareness of on-going and future e-Justice activities.

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