Draft Rules of Civil Procedure were submitted to the Supreme Court on 26 November 2020. The respective ceremony was held on-line with participation of President and Judges of the Supreme Court of Cyprus, representatives of the Office of Chief Registrar, Office of Director of Reform and Training, Office of Attorney General, Reform Steering Committee, the Minister of Justice and representatives of the Ministry, Judges Association of Cyprus, Cyprus Bar Association, Rules Committee members, and Project experts, representatives of the Council of Europe and EU Commission (DG Reform).
The proposed Rules were prepared by a group of national and international experts and then thoroughly elaborated by the Rules Committee appointed by the Supreme Court and composed of judges, registrar and practicing lawyers.
Ensuring quality and efficiency of justice in Europe is among the main statutory goals for the Council of Europe of which Cyprus is a member for almost sixty years. The aim of the current project is improvement of the civil proceedings which shall become simpler, faster and more accessible for all.
The draft Rules were presented by the President of the Rules Committee Ms Persefoni Panayi, who stressed that the introduction of the Rules would require a change of culture by the judiciary, lawyers and other parties. More cooperation by lawyers will be required before and after the beginning of the proceedings, more practical approach by judges will be needed in exercising their active role in case management. These are issues that fall within the scope of the next phase of the Project, which is the training of judges, lawyers and judicial officers on the proposed Regulations.
The Minister of Justice of Cyprus, Ms Emily Giolitis, endorsed the steps taken towards the holistic reform of the judicial system in Cyprus. For the support of the ongoing reform, and in particular, introduction of the new Rules necessary legislative amendments will be prepared and introduced. A proposal for the establishment of a standing Rules Committee for timely revision and amendment of the Rules was supported by the stakeholders.
The proposed Rules will be reviewed by the Supreme Court and once they are adopted they will give a unique opportunity to the national courts to face the challenges of the 21st century.
The drafting of the Rules was finalised under the Project implemented by the Council of Europe in collaboration with the Director of Reform and Training of the Supreme Court Mr. George Erotocritou. The project is funded by the Directorate General for Structural Reform Support of the European Commission.
