First Prize Awarded to Debt Officer Project at the European 'Crystal Scales of Justice'
The Debt Officer Project received first prize in the competition for innovative projects of the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice- U verlaat Rechtspraak.nl (CEPEJ). The initiative was submitted, as the Debt Officer project has already demonstrated its worth in the Judiciary and the initiators would like to roll out this project in the Netherlands and abroad.
‘Social Problem with Significant Consequences’
Jan van Breda, Femke Damsteegt and Herman van Harten
Femke Damsteegt of Rotterdam District Court (now Judge at the Supreme Court), Herman van Harten of The Hague District Court (now Judge at the Hague Court of Appeal) and District Court Limburg were instrumental to the Debt Officers project when it was set up in 2020. Jan van Breda was involved in the national implementation. All three were present in Cyprus yesterday for the award ceremony and enjoyed explaining the initiative to their European colleagues, as the social impact of this initiative is significant, whilst requiring limited investment. Herman van Harten: 'It is not unthinkable that the Debt Officer project could be implemented in other European countries. Problematic debts are a social problem in multiple countries and have significant consequences.'
About the Crystal Scales Awards
CEPEJ of the Council of Europe organises the annual Crystal Scales of Justice Prize- U verlaat Rechtspraak.nl contest, for the purposes of stimulating the development in the quality and efficiency of the judiciary. It allows European countries to showcase their innovations and learn from all the other innovative and efficient practices applied in other parts of Europe. In order for the project to be awarded a prize, the practice should be easily applicable to other European countries.
About CEPEJ
CEPEJ is a Committee of the Council of Europe that evaluates and develops instruments for the improvement of the quality and efficiency of the judicial systems. They, for example, develop practical backlog reduction tools- U verlaat Rechtspraak.nl, have drawn up an Ethical Charter on the Use of AI- U verlaat Rechtspraak.nl and conduct bi-annual evaluations of the European judicial systems in the European Judicial Systems Evaluation Report- U verlaat Rechtspraak.nl, including comprehensive dashboard- U verlaat Rechtspraak.nl.