New law promotes the use of video conference technology in the judiciary

New law promotes the use of video conference technology in the judiciary

The Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection has taken an important step towards digitization of the judiciary. A new law is intended to promote the use of video conference technology in civil jurisdiction and specialist jurisdiction.

The Minister of Justice and for Migration, Marion Gentges, emphasized that video negotiations make an important contribution to a modern and contemporary judiciary. She is particularly pleased that a solution was found in the placement procedure that adequately takes into account the interests of everyone involved and creates real added value in the digitization of the judiciary. The agreement of the placement committee now determines important regulations:

• video negotiations are limited to "suitable cases" and are subject to the reservation that "sufficient capacities" are available.
• The court can generally decide whether a video negotiation is carried out.
• in civil procedure and in financial court proceedings, a video negotiation should take place in the appropriate application.
• The rejection of an application for video negotiations must be justified.
• The possibility of streaming court hearings on the Internet was deleted.

These new regulations should make an important contribution to a digital, modern and contemporary judiciary. Due to the flexibility and efficiency that video conference technology offers, court hearings can be carried out easier and the judiciary overall becomes more modern and accessible.

It remains to be seen how the use of video conference technology will develop in practice and what specific effects this will have on the court. It is hoped that the new regulations will help to make the judiciary more efficient and to improve access for citizens.