# Conference of Ministers of Justice

The Council of Europe have been organising Conferences of Ministers of Justice (MJU) on a regular basis since 1961. They constitute an important forum of exchange and coordination of legal policy at the pan-European level. They are one of the best known of the Council of Europe's Conferences of Specialised Ministers.
Preparation of these conferences is the joint responsibility of the European Committee on legal co-operation (CDCJ) and the European Committee on Crime Problems (CDPC)
The Ministers of Justice usually meet each year. On a year when there is not a formal (numbered) conference, an informal ministerial conference is usually organised. Each conference is devoted to one or more themes.

## Past conferences and themes

1st conference, Paris (France), 1961
Draft convention on road traffic offences
Draft recommendation on rights of prisoners
Juvenile delinquency
Council of Europe activities in the field of criminological research
2nd conference, Rome (Italy), 1962
Draft convention on supervision on conditionally released offenders
Exchange of information on bills relating to penal and prison matters
Juvenile delinquency
Harmonisation of penal provisions of concern of the Rome treaty
Studies on the international validity of penal sentences
European Convention on Human Rights
Draft uniform law on arbitration
3rd conference, Dublin (Ireland), 1964
Measures to promote the comparative study of laws
Information on foreign law
The uniform interpretation of European treaties
State immunity
After care for conditionally sentenced or conditionally released offenders
4th conference, Berlin (Germany), 1966
Law reform
Exchange of young lawyers
Prevention of new divergencies between the laws of member States
Standardisation of judicial documents
Short term treatment of offenders
Improving the efficacy of legal instruments for crime control at international level
5th conference, London (United Kingdom), 1968
6th conference, The Hague (Netherlands), 1970
7th conference, Basel (Switzerland), 1972
8th conference, Lidingö, (Sweden), 1973
9th conference, Vienna (Austria), 1974
1975, informal conference, Obernai (France)
10th conference, Brussels (Belgium), 1976
Current and future developments in family law
Alternative measures to imprisonment
Mass media legislation in member States
Measures to combat new forms of concerted acts of violence
11th conference, Copenhagen (Denmark), 1978
Problems posed by prisoners of foreign nationality
Access to justice
How can modern administration meet the needs of the citizen
The death penalty
Forfeiture of rights in penal law
1979, informal conference, Aix-la-Chapelle (France)
12th conference, Luxembourg, 1980
1981, informal conference, Montreux (Switzerland)
13th conference, Athens (Greece), 1982
1983, informal conference Rome (Italy)
14th conference, Madrid (Spain), 1984
1985, informal conference, Edinburgh (United Kingdom)
15th Conference : Oslo (Norway), 1986
1987, informal conference, Helsinki (Finland)
16th Conference : Lisbon (Portugal), 1988
Criminal law and criminological questions raised by the propagation of infectious diseases, including AIDS
The supremacy of the interests of the child in the field of private law
Sexual exploitation, pornography and prostitution of and trafficking in children and young women
Elaboration of a draft convention on interstate cooperation in the penal field
Improving the implementation of Council of Europe conventions in the field of private law
1989, informal conference, The Hague (Netherlands)
Legal problems in connection with modern payment systems
17th conference : Istanbul (Turkey), 1990
Protection of the environment through criminal law
The legal heritage of the Council of Europe : its role in reinforcing links with the countries of Eastern Europe
1991, informal conference, Ottawa (Canada)
Sentencing
18th Conference : Nicosia (Cyprus), 1992
Rule of law
Criminal aspects of the market economy
The draft Convention on civil liability for damage resulting from activities dangerous to the environment
1993, informal conference, Lugano (Switzerland)
Protection of minorities
19th Conference, 14–15 June 1994, Valletta (Malta)
Corruption
1995, informal conference, Bucharest (Romania)
20th Conference, 11–12 June 1996, Budapest (Hungary)
Efficiency and fairness of civil, criminal and administrative justice
21st Conference, 10–11 June 1997, Prague (Czech Republic)
22nd Conference, 17–18 June 1999, Chişinău (Moldova)
23rd Conference, 8–9 June 2000, London (United Kingdom)
24th Conference, 4–5 October 2001, Moscow (Russian Federation)
25th Conference, 9–10 October 2003, Sofia (Bulgaria)
26th Conference, 7–8 April 2005, Helsinki (Finland)
27th Conference, 12–13 October 2006, Yerevan (Armenia)
Victims: place, rights and assistance
28th Conference, 25–26 October 2007, Lanzarote (Spain)
Emerging issues of access to justice for vulnerable groups, in particular:
- migrants and asylum seekers;
- and children, including children as perpetrators of crime"
29th Conference, 17–19 June 2009, Tromsø (Norway)
Breaking the silence – united against domestic violence
30th Conference, 24–26 November 2010, Istanbul (Turkey)
* Resolution no.1 on a modern, transparent and efficient justice

## Documentation

The report for 1 was published as CEPC(61)16.
The report for 2 was published without reference.
Reports for 3 to 11 and the Obernai conference were published in the "CMJ" series of documents.
Reports from the 12 onwards and reports for informal conferences since 1981 have been published in the "MJU" series of documents.
No report was published for the 1979 conference.
The report of the 19th conference has also been published as a paying publication.