1. Changes in the Dutch judicial system
Dr. Pim Albers
Ministry of Justice

2. The current judicial structure
Supreme Court
Court of Appeal
(5)
District courts
(19)

3. The structure of a district court

4. Pressure on the organisation
Technological and economic progress
Development of crime
Increasing numbers of claims
Internationalisation of law
Growing interest of politicians and media

5. The Leemhuis-commission (1998)
Need for strengthening of the independence of the judiciary
Introduction of a Judicial Council
Introduction of integral management in the courts
Integration of municipal courts into district courts
Increase of financial resources for the judiciary (structural increase of the budget with 136 million euros and incidental increase of the budget with 77 million euro

6. Implementation of ‘Leemhuis’: ‘The judicial organisation 21st century’
Tailored jurisdiction (rechtspraak op maat)
Accessibility
Unity of law
Timeliness
External orientation

7. Activities
Departmental projects (including a legislative programme: drafting of the Law on the Judicial Council and the modification of the Law on the Organisation and Management of Courts)
pVRO (Reinforcement Judicial Organisation Programme)

8. Budget for the reform PVRO: 19 million €
1999
2000
2001
2002
14 million €
28 million €
41 million €
59 million €
PVRO: 19 million €
Capacity investment: 52 million €
ADR-projects: 9 million €

9. Departmental projects
Project Judicial Council
Project departmental tasks administration of Justice
Legislative programme: drafting Law on the judicial council and changing the Law on the Organisation and Management of Courts

10. Project Judicial Council

11. Project departmental tasks administration of Justice

12. pVRO Introduction of modern management
Unification of processing rules (civil cases, administrative cases and divorce)
Internet-project
Project Personnel policy
Project Quality
Project work procedures
Project complaints, etc.

13. Ministerial responsibility (after 1 January 2002)
Proper conditions for the functioning of the judicial system (budget and legislation)
Supervision on the Judicial Council
Budget (and control) responsibility for the Supreme Court
Policy formulation regarding ADR

14. Current developments in society and in the justice area
Increase influx of civil cases
Growing investment in judges and staff
Decrease of economic development
‘budget cuts’ in the public budget

15. Influx of civil cases

16. Court capacity

17. Budget-cycle Judicial Council prepares annual plan and budget proposal
Ministry of Justice is responsible for reviewing the plan and the budget proposal
After acceptance of the budget proposal and annual plan the budget proposal of the judiciary is integrated in the budget proposal of the Ministry of Justice
The budget proposal of the Ministry of Justice (and the other departments) are presented in September each year for approval of the Parliament

18. New policies (1)
Central role of the responsibility of the citizen for ‘solving’ their own disputes
Stimulation of ADR (arbitration, mediation and other forms of dispute resolution)
More responsibilities for the public prosecutor to handle cases (simple criminal offences) without the intervention of the judge

19. New policies (2)
Stimulation of co-operation between courts for an efficient allocation of cases
Change of the location policy of courts
Changes in the criminal process law, administrative process law and civil process law to increase efficiency of justice
Reduction of non-judicial tasks
Introduction of a new model for financing the judiciary