Director of the Chamber of Judicial Officers of Lithuania D. Šnirpūnė: “More flexible enforcement procedures and support for businesses are the common direction of judicial officers’ activities across Europe”

During an international conference held in Bulgaria, participants discussed the changing role of judicial officers in modern society, as well as opportunities to help individuals and businesses resolve financial difficulties through non-coercive measures.

The conference entitled “Law, Protection, Statehood – 20 Years on the Path of Reform,” held in Sofia on December 5, was dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Chamber of Private Judicial Officers of Bulgaria.

The Secretary General of the European Union of Judicial Officers (UEHJ) and Director of the Chamber of Judicial Officers of Lithuania, Dovilė Šnirpūnė, emphasized that across Europe the activities of judicial officers are steadily expanding into the fields of non-coercive debt recovery and business dispute resolution.

“Today, judicial officers are taking on a much broader role than before. They not only enforce debts through compulsory measures, but also help businesses efficiently manage unpaid invoices, apply debt prevention measures, and offer fast and effective solutions for the recovery of undisputed debts. This is the essence of a modern, responsible, and sustainable debt management system,” said D. Šnirpūnė.

The Secretary General of the International Union of Judicial Officers (UIHJ), Patrick Gielen, presented to conference participants the Belgian practice of assisting businesses in recovering undisputed debts. A widely used B2B debt recovery procedure allows up to 40 percent of undisputed business debts to be recovered without court proceedings, by relying on the assistance of judicial officers while ensuring the protection of debtors’ interests.

The Head of the Chamber of Private Judicial Officers of Bulgaria, Georgi Dichev, emphasized that Bulgarian judicial officers seek to further modernize debt enforcement procedures and are initiating legislative changes that would allow small undisputed debts to be recovered without court involvement.

G. Dichev also thanked Lithuanian and Latvian judicial officers for their cooperation and assistance in transferring enforcement processes to the digital environment.

“All of this has helped Bulgarian judicial officers to move rapidly along the path of digitalization. It has increased procedural transparency and improved access to services,” said G. Dichev.

“You are guarantors of justice, mediators of social peace, and guardians of the rule of law,” — with these words the President of the International Union of Judicial Officers (UIHJ), Marc Schmitz, addressed the conference participants. He called on Bulgarian authorities to accelerate the adoption of legislation legalizing the non-coercive recovery of small debts. The UIHJ President also shared the experience of France and Belgium in establishing factual circumstances, where evidence collected by judicial officers becomes the “eyes of the judge” and is recognized as admissible evidence in court.

Congratulating Bulgarian private judicial officers on the 20th anniversary of their professional activity, the Bulgarian Minister of Justice Georgi Georgiev thanked them for their essential contribution to strengthening the rule of law.

“Laws cannot remain merely beautiful but unenforceable words,” the minister stated.

Each year, Bulgarian judicial officers return between EUR 127 million and EUR 153 million to the state budget and an additional EUR 102 million to private creditors by recovering unpaid wages, maintenance payments (child support), and various compensations.

The Chamber of Private Judicial Officers of Bulgaria currently unites 180 members. Representatives from more than ten European countries participated in the forum.

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