Judicial cooperation in civil matters

Judicial cooperation in civil matters concerns the necessary measures for smooth operation of the internal market, and includes, among others, a) the improvement and simplification of service of documents in cross-border cases or notification of judicial and extrajudicial acts, the cooperation during trial, recognition and enforcement of judgements in civil and commercial matters, b) the promotion of rule compatibility among member states, with regard to conflict of law and jurisdiction, and c) elimination of obstacles for the smooth conduction of civil trials (see also the Lisbon Treaty, article 81).

The results achieved until today include collaboration in international jurisdiction, in recognition and enforcement of judgements in civil and commercial matters, in provisions for insolvency proceedings, in the establishment of the European Judicial Network for civil matters, in statutes for the taking of evidence in civil and commercial matters, as well as in legal aid for cross-border litigants. Collaboration in this sector is achieved by the adoption of regulations (that have general application, are binding in their entirety, and are immediately valid in every member state), of directives (that are binding for every member state regarding their objective, but allow for the choice of particularities and mediums in the jurisdiction of national authorities), and of decisions (that are binding in their entirety for all defined recipients).