Need help with a cross-border case?
Date: 2024-12-12
Institutions: Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers
Subjects: EU Member State, civil law, civil procedure, commercial law, cross-border cooperation, judicial cooperation, legal aid

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Need help with a 
cross-border case?

Building bridges between judicial 
systems
Judicial authorities1 frequently deal with cross-border 
cases in the EU that involve at least two EU countries. Cases 
can include business disputes, consumer disputes, employment 
disputes, divorce, matters of parental responsibility, succession, 
or matrimonial property regimes.

The European Judicial Network in civil and commercial matters 
(EJN-civil) builds bridges between national systems. It was 
set up to facilitate judicial cooperation between EU countries. 
The Network, composed of national contact points, national 
judicial authorities and professional associations, is responsible 
for helping national courts and competent judicial authorities 
provide effective access to justice.

1  In this leaflet, judicial authorities means any appropriate judicial or administrative authority 

with responsibilities for judicial cooperation in civil and commercial matters.

What are the European Judicial 
Network’s tasks?
The  European  Judicial  Network  was  set  up  to  provide  practical 
assistance  to  facilitate  judicial  cooperation  in  civil  and  commercial 
matters in the EU, and in particular to :

	X Make it easier to conduct cross-border cases and facilitate requests for 

judicial cooperation between Member States. 

	X Provide assistance so that EU law is applied properly in cross-border cases.

Examples of assistance
	X Dealing with delays or other difficulties in requests for legal 

cooperation (such as service of documents) to be carried out in another 
EU country.

	X Answering questions about another EU country’s substantive or 
procedural laws. For complex questions, requests should be made 
either under the European Convention on Information on Foreign Law2 
or by obtaining expert opinions.

2  https://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list

At your service:  
the Network’s  
contact points 

The contact points in your country 
play a key role in the Network. 
They are in regular contact 
with contact points in other EU 
countries. Problems can be solved 
by using the Network’s people-
to-people contacts. If you are 
a judge, judicial officer or 
working in another judicial 
authority involved in a cross-
border civil or commercial 
case in the EU, you can 
contact your national Network 
contact points for help.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Who are the Network’s 
members?
	X Contact points appointed by EU countries.

the  national  competent  authorities  coordinated  by  the 
Network’s national contact points. 

These are available on the European e-Justice Portal, 
EJN-civil section.
in the EJN-civil section

	X Central authorities, appointed in line with specific 

EU laws3 and international agreements.

	X  Liaison magistrates under Joint Action 96/277/JHA 

of 22 April 19964.

	X  Other judicial authorities responsible for judicial 

cooperation in civil and commercial matters.

	X  Professional associations representing legal 

practitioners directly involved in the application of 
instruments in civil and commercial law

Network  members  regularly  meet  to  discuss  and 
exchange  information  and  experience  on  cross-border 
judicial  cooperation  issues  that  have  been  brought  to 
their attention.

In line with protocol No 22 on the position of Denmark 
annexed to the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty 
on  the  Functioning  of  the  European  Union,  Denmark 
does  not  participate  in  the  Network,  except  as  an 
observer at Network meetings.

Find further information about the EJN on the European 
e-Justice Portal in the EJN-civil section. 

https://e-justice.europa.eu/21/EN/european_judicial_
https://e-justice.europa.eu/21/EN/european_judicial_
network_in_civil_and_commercial_matters
network_in_civil_and_commercial_matters

EU, international and national 
law and procedures in your 
language 
The  Network  produces  free  information  sheets  on 
EU,  international  and  national  law  and  procedures. 
These  factsheets  can  help  you  understand  other  EU 
countries’ legal systems. They are regularly updated by 

3   The following EU legislation provides for central authorities/central bodies: 
Regulation (EU) 2019/1111 (“Brussels IIb Regulation”), Regulation (EU) 
2020/1784 on service of documents, Regulation (EU) 2020/1783 on tak-
ing of evidence, and Regulation (EC) 4/2009 on maintenance obligations.
4   The tasks of liaison magistrates normally include any activity designed 

to encourage and speed up all forms of judicial cooperation, in particular 
by establishing direct links with the relevant departments and judicial 
authorities in the host country.

	● Which country’s court is responsible? (jurisdiction)

 ● Small claims

	● Taking of evidence

 ● Online processing of cases and e-communication with 

courts

	● Parental responsibility

 ● Family mediation

	● Matrimonial property regimes

 ● Restrictions on succession – special rules

	● Cross-border placement of a child, including foster family

 ● How to bring a case to court

	● Divorce

 ● How to enforce a court decision

	● Moving/settling abroad with children

 ● Insolvency/bankruptcy

	● Service of documents : official transmission of legal 

documents

 ● Property consequences of registered partnerships

	● Interest rates

 ● Legal aid

	● European payment order

 ● Securing assets during a claim in EU countries

	● Time limits on procedures

 ● Family maintenance

	● Succession

 ● Which country’s law applies?

	● Adapting rights in rem

 ● Taking evidence in a videoconference

How to contact the Network?
Get in touch by phone, email or digital channels in your country. Most enquiries will be answered quickly within a few 
days, although this depends on the complexity of the question.

To get their contact details, please email: rjecc.dacs@justice.gouv.fr.

You can also obtain the contact details of a contact point through the dedicated form
Portal. 

dedicated form on the European e-Justice 

Guides on EU law 

To strengthen the efficient and effective application of EU legislation, the Network has also published a wide 
range of citizen and practitioner guides5. These  
guides provide practical information and are available in all EU languages at: 

https://e-justice.europa.eu/content_ejn_publications-287-en.do
https://e-justice.europa.eu/content_ejn_publications-287-en.do

Your national contact point might have printed copies. Below are examples of the  guides available.

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Succession law 

	●  A citizen’s guide: how EU rules simplify international inheritances (2018)

European procedures

	● Small Claims: A Guide for Users to the European Small Claims Procedure (2019)
	● European Account Preservation Order Regulation: Debt recovery made easier in EU cross-border cases 

(European Account Preservation Order Regulation) (2017)

Family matters

	● Practice Guide for the application of the Brussels IIa Regulation (2014) 
	● Practice Guide for the application of the Brussels IIb Regulation (2022)
	● Guidance on the use of the Annexes under Regulation (EC) No 4/2009 on jurisdiction, applicable 

law, recognition and enforcement of decisions and cooperation in matters relating to maintenance 
obligations

European procedures

	●  Small Claims: Practice Guide for the Application of the European Small Claims Procedure 
	●  European Payment Order: Practice Guide for the application of the Regulation on the European Order for 
Payment (2012). Enforcement order in uncontested claims (European Enforcement order): Practice guide for 
the application of the Regulation on the European Enforcement Order (2009)

Taking evidence abroad

	●  Practical guide on using videoconferencing to obtain evidence in civil and commercial matters (2009) 
	●  Practice guide for the application of the Regulation on the Taking of Evidence (2011)

Cross-border labour law

	● Practice Guide - Jurisdiction and applicable law in international disputes between the employee and the 

employer (2020)

Data collection in cross-border civil cases

	●  EJN Good practice for data collection (2021)

5 

 Guides as available in 2022. The Network regularly produces guides on other areas of EU civil and commercial law.

 
 
The European e-Justice Portal:
a one-stop shop designed for your needs

The  European  e-Justice  Portal  provides  many 
practical  tools  and  features,  including  the  ones 
mentioned above developed by the Network, which can 
facilitate the practical application of EU law.

For  example,  on  the  Portal  you  can  find  and  complete 
online forms6 that are required by certain EU legislation 
on civil judicial cooperation. 

If  you  are  looking  for  competent  courts  and  judicial 
authorities  in  other  EU  countries  or  interested  in 
information about how specific cross-border legislation 
is  implemented  in  other  EU  countries  (competent 
authorities,  language  requirements,  costs  etc.),  the 
Portal’s  European  Judicial  Atlas  in  Civil  Matters7 
can help your search.

The European Judicial Network in civil and commercial 
matters  was  established  under  Council  Decision  No 
2001/470/EC  of  28  May  2001.  It  began  operating  on 
1 December 2002. The European Commission provides 
administrative  support.  By  performing  its  tasks,  the 
Network  responds  to  the  objectives  on  access  to  EU 
justice and judicial cooperation in civil and commercial 
matters.

#EJNcivil

6   https://e-justice.europa.eu/155/EN/online_forms
https://e-justice.europa.eu/155/EN/online_forms 
7    European Judicial Atlas in Ci+vil Matters: https://e-justice.europa.eu/
https://e-justice.europa.eu/

content_atlas -321-en.do
content_atlas -321-en.do

Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2024

© European Union, 2024

Reuse is authorised provided the source is acknowledged and the original meaning or message of the 
document is not distorted. The European Commission shall not be liable for any consequence stemming 
from the reuse. The reuse policy of European Commission documents is implemented by Commission 
Decision  2011/833/EU  of  12  December  2011  on  the  reuse  of  Commission  documents  (OJ  L  330, 
14.12.2011, p. 39, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2011/833/oj).

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