Palkovics highlights judiciary digitalisation at international conference

Hungary has “done well” compared with other European Union member states in terms of digitalising its judicial procedures, Innovation and Technology Minister László Palkovics told the Digital Public Administration Summit held in Budapest on Tuesday.

Palkovics said digitalisation became inevitable amid the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic as a means to making the judicial system “accessible and transparent in the interest of protecting citizens and ensuring legal predictability”.

“Digital technologies and artificial intelligence are essential tools for ensuring the seamless operations of the judiciary,” the minister said.

According to the European Commission’s 2021 EU Justice Scoreboard, the community’s legal services became more accessible and more effective during the pandemic due to digital developments, he said.

Palkovics added that making court rulings available online increased transparency and helped clients better understand the legal environment, while it also increased consistency of court practices and data security. Citing the Scoreboard, he said that Hungary, Estonia, Lithuania and Slovakia offered the broadest access to court decisions online.