The meeting of the Special Commission (SC) on the Practical Operation of the 1965 Service, 1970 Evidence, and 1980 Access to Justice Conventions (Conventions) was held in The Hague, where Professor and ELI Council Member Fausto Pocar participated as an ELI Observer.

Lively discussions centered on the practical operation of the 1965 Service Convention, the 1970 Evidence Convention, and the 1980 Access to Justice Convention.

The Commission, convened by the HCCH's Permanent Bureau, focused on improving the application of these conventions. Key topics included integrating IT in interstate communications, the mandatory use of model forms in the Service Convention, and evolving practices in evidence collection. Among other things, the SC encouraged lifting reservations on using commissioners for evidence gathering. The meeting, the first to include Spanish as an official language, concluded with a consensus on the need to enhance international judicial cooperation.

More information is available here.