International activities

The National Courts Administration participates in the activities of several international organisations and networks. In addition, the Agency provides information on the European Commission’s Rule of law report, coordinates responses to the questionnaire on Evaluation of judicial systems of the Council of Europe’s Member states for the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) and the European Union Justice Scoreboard

The National Courts Administration is a member and actively participates in the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary (ENCJ), where European Councils for the Judiciary produce European-wide information and share their experiences.

The National Courts Administration receives international guests and participates in international cooperation meetings. For example, a seminar of the International Association for Court Administration (IACA) was held in Finland in 2022, attended by several representatives of the courts.

In addition, the National Courts Administration is involved in international training projects, such as those of the EIPA, the EJTNA, the ERA and the EJN criminal justice network led by the Ministry of Justice. The staff of the judiciary have the opportunity to participate in international training and exchange programmes.

The Finnish Network of Civil Justice and the Finnish Criminal Justice Network of the EJN assist judges in cases where there are cross-border elements. In addition, cooperation in international matters takes place with the Unit for International legal assistance of the Ministry of Justice. The Unit for International legal assistance acts as the central authority for several dozen EU and international instruments on civil or criminal judicial cooperation.

Co-operation also takes place with the Nordic and Baltic countries in various compositions that gather on a regular basis.

In addition, the National Courts Administration is responsible for supporting the courts in civilian crisis management and international administration of justice.

Inquiries concerning international activities can be sent to: tuomioistuinvirasto@oikeus.fi