Integration of legal databases in the context of EU accession aspirations

Abstract

It is determined that the process of cooperation within the framework of the European Union has increased the need for identification and exchange of legal information coming from regional and national authorities at the European level. This need is partially met by digitally accessible legal information and the widespread use of the Internet. However, the exchange of legal information is largely limited by the differences that exist in different national legal systems, as well as the differences in their technical systems used to store and display the law on their respective websites. This hinders interaction between the information systems of national and European institutions, despite the increase in the availability of documents in electronic format. At the same time, the interconnection of national and international legal information from various sources and their presentation in the form of linked data of legal knowledge will undoubtedly improve the process of searching for legal information, expanding the possibilities of inquiries that are not currently possible. Moreover, in an increasingly digital society, where the number of cross-border civil and criminal proceedings is rapidly increasing, and given the complex diversity of different legal systems in the EU Member States, the simplification and facilitation of cross-border judicial cooperation is essential to ensure effective access of citizens and businesses to justice. At the same time, the system of identification and metadata should be well known to citizens and specialists in the field of law. In addition, to increase the chances of finding case law that is supported by an identifier and metadata, these court decisions should be searchable - by identifier and a minimal set of metadata - through a common interface. The exchange of digital evidence in the EU is also an important aspect. Currently, countries cooperate using private international law in cross-border criminal cases and exchange digital evidence based on these tools. The choice of tool depends on the countries involved and the type of information required.