WRITTEN QUESTION E-1470/01 by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission. Delays in the administration of justice.
Date: 2001-05-17
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Italy, administrative formalities, administrative reform, citizen-authority relations, electronic government, legal system

11.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 350 E/165

The Charter of Fundamental Rights adopted in Nice refers to respect for family life, in particular stressing
the safeguarding of children(cid:146)s rights, but perhaps ignoring the problems of adolescents.

Can the Commission say:

(cid:129) whether it does not think that these events make it essential to launch a thorough investigation, in all

the Member States, to uncover, at last, the situations of conflict which can exist in families;

(cid:129) whether it considers it appropriate to encourage further research into the causes of conflict (parents(cid:146)
expectations of their children differing from the children(cid:146)s own desires, excessively strict educational
standards, sometimes repressive social values, etc.);

(cid:129) how it intends to help young people to deal with the large number of often contradictory messages

they receive;

(cid:129) how it intends to make it possible to pay more attention to these feelings of alienation, especially in

their early stages;

(cid:129) whether it considers that it should take action with regard to information policy to prevent a morbid
interest in such events from helping to make them more common because of a (cid:145)chain reaction(cid:146)?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(2 July 2001)

The Commission shares the Honourable Member(cid:146)s fears in the light of the tragedy in Novi Ligure.

The Commission is planning to take an initiative by the end of the year in the area of youth. This initiative
will take the form of a White Paper on a new system of co-operation between Member States(cid:146) youth
policies.

In order to draw up its proposals, the Commission has held extensive talks over a period of one year with
young people themselves, civil society organisations involved in this field, researchers and ministries in the
Member States. The European Parliament has been involved in this consultation and has itself organised
a hearing on this subject.

The proposals will relate to all factors which condition the lives of young people in society: their
involvement in public life, formal and non-formal education, employment, initiative, etc. The well-being of
young people, and for some of them the lack of it, is an issue of particular concern to the Commission.

In the light of the above, the Commission also intends to propose new studies, research and information
measures. It is essential that we gain a better understanding of how the profound changes in the social,
economic and cultural environment affect young people(cid:146)s daily lives and how they respond to this and
what impact it has on their attitudes to a variety of institutions, such as the family.

(2001/C 350 E/177)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1470/01

by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission

(17 May 2001)

Subject: Delays in the administration of justice

Despite the promises made last year by the Minister responsible that there would be an IT revolution in
the law courts by January 2001, even now the office responsible for registering cases at the Milan court is
behind and is still dealing with the judges appointed in December 2000. A new four inch-thick file, like
those produced a decade ago, was compiled only a month ago to help judges find their cases, with the
names of the parties and the registration numbers of the cases. Instead of the promised use of information

C 350 E/166

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

11.12.2001

technology the office is bogged down in paper,
administration of justice and hence the right of citizens to obtain justice.

leading to delays which have an impact on the

Although the organisation of the courts and the modernisation of their bureaucratic machinery is under
the jurisdiction of national governments, can the Commission say:

1. whether it considers that the delays caused not least by failure to modernise procedures is having an
adverse impact on citizens who have to wait an inordinately long time to see the conclusion of cases
concerning them;

2.

in view of the unequal treatment and the failure to respect human rights to which citizens are
subjected because of delays in the organisational and technological changes in bureaucracy, does it not
consider it would be appropriate to call on governments, in the context of the co-operation envisaged
to achieve the objectives of the (cid:145)third pillar(cid:146), to make the necessary efforts to modernise legal offices
and make up for the delays which lead to the aforementioned unequal treatment?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(19 July 2001)

The Commission shares the concerns of the Honourable Member concerning the adverse impact on
citizens of delays in the administration of justice.

That being so, the Commission is aware that slow procedures and slow registration of cases is a major
impediment to access to justice, as are the complexity and cost of procedures.

Greater use of new information and communication technologies could at least partly remedy that
problem. In this context, for example, the recent Council Decision 2001/470/EC of 28 May 2001 (1) to set
up a European Judicial Network in civil and commercial matters refers to the use of such new technologies
in order to facilitate its activities.

The Commission is also managing several research programmes in the field of new technologies. One of
them, the programme concerning information society technologies (IST programme), includes (cid:145)applications
relating to administration(cid:146), which could be suitable for the submission of proposals dealing with justice. A
project known as E-Court has been under way since 1 June 2001 and is aimed at using emerging
information and communication technologies to improve the output and efficiency of
law courts
throughout Europe.

(1) OJ L 174, 27.6.2001.

(2001/C 350 E/178)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1476/01

by Baroness Sarah Ludford (ELDR) to the Commission

Subject:

(cid:145)Nec bis in idem(cid:146) double jeopardy rule

(11 May 2001)

Is the Commission aware that proceedings brought in the English High Court by the Kuwait Investment
Office through their Spanish holding company Grupo Torra were dismissed in 1999 by an English judge
identical
after trial against my constituent, Carin Parker, and were not appealed against, and that
proceedings are being pursued by the Kuwait Investment Office in Spain?

Has the European Commission considered the problems of double jeopardy in cases where international
agencies by virtue of their financial resources can abuse national legal systems in order to obtain a legal
result which is most favourable to them?