At their meeting held in Visegrád on 17 April 2018, the chief justices of the Central European region discussed the topics of the filtering mechanisms of supreme courts and the national implementation of the European Union rules on preventing money laundering and the financing of terrorism. In addition to the so-called Visegrád countries, two South Eastern European countries were also represented at the 13th Permanent Conference of the Chief Justices of Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.
In his opening speech, the President of the Constitutional Court of Hungary stressed the importance of the co-operation among the V4 countries and the deepening of the dialogue between the different national courts, moreover, he presented the admissibility rules of the Constitutional Court. Dr. Tamás Sulyok underlined that the exchange of experiences in respect of the filtering mechanisms applied by the supreme judicial forums of the neighbouring countries served the interests of all the stakeholders, since it could contribute to the establishment of more efficient procedural rules in the field of legal protection.
In his welcome address, the President of the Curia of Hungary, the conference’s host jurisdiction, raised the issue of the assessment of the Central European countries’ judicial reforms. Dr. Péter Darák emphasised that the adjudication of court cases should serve not only the enforcement of law, but also the common good. Adjudication includes conscious planning, setting a vision for the future, situation analysis, setting objectives and determining the relevant work processes. The Hungarian chief justice talked about the changes of judicial models which had become matters of concern in the region. According to President Darák, these reforms may draw attention to the fact that the judicial branch has not yet found its final constitutional place in this part of Europe. The President of the Curia stressed that the sensitive issues related to the judiciary should be addressed in an open and sincere manner, otherwise there is a risk of a declining public confidence in the justice system.
Following the lecture of Dr. Árpád Orosz, Deputy Head of the Civil Department of the Curia, the participants of the conference held a discussion on filtering mechanisms applied in judicial review cases in the field of civil law. The second session of the event was opened by a lecture delivered by Dr. Ákos Székely, Head of the Criminal Department of the Curia and was followed by a consultation on the national implementation of the relevant European Union directives on the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purpose of money laundering and terrorist financing.
Budapest, the 17th of April 2018
Press Secretariat of the Curia of Hungary
