This Guide is the result of several years’ work led by the European Expertise and Expert Institute (EEEI) with the support of the European Commission’s DG Justice.
As the final result of the EGLE Project, the Guide was created by a consensus conference based on the cooperation and comparative experience of a panel of 60 contributors from 12 EU countries who came together in working groups, meeting over 25 times in the past year. Their discussions and recommendations were put to the test during a public plenary conference that took place in May 2015 in Rome and was attended by 160 people from 22 countries – Judges, lawyers, experts, and academics, representatives from Supreme Courts and European institutions.
Based on these recommendations and in light of the questions raised during the conference, a Jury of 9 key law figures from 8 different countries has drawn up the final European Guide for Legal Expertise.
The Guide contains best practice recommendations on Expert proceedings, on certification, on ethics and status, and on the creation of a European list of Experts. Part of these recommendations can already be applied by Experts, in particular: the declaration of independence at the beginning of each expert evaluation, the purchase of insurance, the practice of drafting a pre-report, and the writing of a structured report.
The recommendations and appended draft Code of Ethics should be shared as widely as possible, for stakeholders to draw from and be inspired by them.
The Guide will serve to enhance cooperation between justice systems, providing framework recommendations that can be adapted by each State and each justice system, ensuring quality and usable practices in judicial expertise.
We trust that you will find the Guide of great interest and that you will be able to help us share it as widely as possible.
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Great work! Excellent guide!