A Conference of the presidents of the supreme courts of China and the Central and Eastern European Countries (“CEEC”) was held in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province of the People’s Republic of China from May 4 to 5, 2016.

The Conference was hosted by the Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China (“SPC”), and was attended by the following dignitaries, each of whom addressed one or more conference sessions: H.E. Mr. Zhou Qiang, Chief Justice of the People’s Republic of China and President of the SPC; H.E. Mr. Xhezair Zaganjori, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Albania; H.E. Ms. Meddzida Kreso, President of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina; H.E. Mr. Branko Hrvatin, President of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia; H.E. Mr. Priit Pikamae, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Estonia; the Hon. Mr. Istvan Konya, Vice-President of the Curia of Hungary; H.E. Mr. Ivars Bickovics, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Latvia; H.E. Mr. Rimvydas Norkus, President of the Supreme Court of Lithuania; H.E. Ms. Lidija Nedelkova, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Macedonia; H.E. Mrs. Vesna Medenica, President of the Supreme Court of Montenegro; Hon. Mr. Lech Paprzycki, President of the Supreme Court and Head of the Criminal Chamber of the Republic of Poland; H.E. Mr. Dragomir Milojevic, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Cassation of the Republic of Serbia; and the Hon. Ms. Jarmila Urbancova, Vice-President of the Supreme Court of the Slovak Republic.

In a friendly, practical and constructive atmosphere the participants exchanged opinions on a wide range of topics under the theme of “The Judiciary in the Global Information Age”, which may serve as a basis for enhancing and deepening possibilities of international judicial exchange and cooperation, including judicial reform, judicial transparency, the application of information technology in courts, alternative dispute resolution (ADR), and the role of supreme courts in promotion of judicial efficiency and unification of judicial practice. The Conference, convinced of the need to establish and maintain a permanent dialogue between the judiciaries of China and the CEEC, reached the following consensus:

I. The Conference acknowledged a series of documented cooperative achievements between China and the CEEC since 2012 and positively evaluated the important progress and relevance of the cooperation. The Conference noted that “the Belt and Road Initiative” is drawing China and the CEEC closer together, which means a greater need for judicial cooperation.

II. The supreme courts of China and the CEEC will make joint efforts to promote the rule of law and to improve domestic and international judicial systems.

III. Fairness and justice are the common ideas honored and followed by the judiciaries of all countries in the world. Both China and CEEC have attached great importance to promoting judicial reform and referencing the experiences of other countries to facilitate the improvement of their respective judicial systems.

IV. China and the CEEC recognize the principle of judicial transparency as a fundamental means of promoting judicial fairness and improving judicial practice. The supreme courts of China and the CEEC will emphasize continuous expansion of open justice and adopt innovative measures, based on universally acknowledged international standards and practices combined with their respective national situations, to continuously increase judicial transparency and credibility.

V. The development and application of information technology is not only changing the ways of production and living of humanity, but also exerting profound influence on the conventional judicial measures and models. The supreme courts of China and the CEEC are fully aware of and responsive to this trend and actively adopt information technology to improve judicial capability and practice, efficiently resolve disputes, and better ensure judicial fairness. Thus, the Conference supports the ambition of expanding application of electronic services to optimize the work of the courts and to make it more transparent and efficient, to make implementation of justice more widely accessible, and to create conditions for the members of society to exercise their judicial rights in a more constructive, expeditious, and cost effective way.

VI. China and the CEEC recognize the value of ADR mechanisms, such as mediation and arbitration that may provide efficient and expedient approaches to dispute resolution. The SPC has been emphasizing the application of mediation to settle disputes, and the supreme courts of the CEEC will actively consider applying mediation and other ADR mechanisms in their respective countries.

VII. Promotion of judicial efficiency and unification of judicial practice is a common pursuit of countries based on the rule of law. The supreme courts of China and the CEEC attach high importance to their unique roles in promoting judicial efficiency and unifying judicial standards. They endeavor to ensure the uniform application of laws and improve judicial efficiency by development of clear, precise and predictable jurisprudence.

VIII. The supreme courts of China and the CEEC will continue to commit to deepening cooperation and communication in the judicial field, improving and strengthening cooperation in civil and criminal cases, and facilitating the overall improvement of cooperation between China and the CEEC. They will exchange and study their respective leading cases, promote and strengthen exchanges of members of their judiciaries, and share their experience and achievements in reforming their judicial systems.

This Consensus was adopted in both Chinese and English, both texts being equally authentic, on May 5, 2016, in Suzhou, China.