According to official information, all 99 ordinary courts in Bavaria can now negotiate virtually. “In July we achieved our goal: All 99 Bavarian courts have access to one system,” explained Justice Minister Georg Eisenreich (CSU) in a statement on Friday. 108 video conference systems were procured. According to the ministry, thousands of civil processes are now being conducted digitally at the courts in the Free State. “Video negotiations save travel costs, reduce the time required and reduce the risk of infection,” emphasized Eisenreich.
The criminal and civil courts under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice (other ministries are responsible for labor, social and administrative courts) are not only dependent on the conference facilities, but are also allowed to use an online conference program. The platform has been released for use across Bavaria. The respective judge decides whether the negotiations will be carried out by video. However, all those involved in the process must agree. Digitization is not only playing an increasingly important role in the courtroom, but also in correspondence. According to the ministry, the courts currently receive 65,000 electronic messages per week. Conversely, 75,000 messages are sent every week. Around 7.2 million messages are exchanged electronically each year. Electronic legal transactions were introduced in civil, criminal and family law proceedings in October 2017 and January 2018, respectively, for bailiffs in January 2018. Analog mountains of files should soon be a thing of the past.
© SZ from July 31, 2021 / dpa