Conference of Ministers of Justice
Encyclopedia
The Council of Europe
have been organising Conferences of Ministers of Justice (MJU) on a regular basis since 1961. They constitute an important forum of exchange and coordination of legal policy at the pan-European level. They are one of the best know of the Council of Europe's Conferences of Specialised Ministers
.
Preparation of these conferences is the joint responsibility of the European Committee on legal co-operation (CDCJ) and the European Committee on Crime Problems (CDPC)
The Ministers of Justice usually meet each year. On a year when there is not a formal (numbered) conference, an informal ministerial conference is usually organised. Each conference is devoted to one or more themes.
Draft convention on road traffic offences
Draft recommendation on rights of prisoners
Juvenile delinquency
Council of Europe activities in the field of criminological research
2nd conference, Rome (Italy), 1962
Draft convention on supervision on conditionally released offenders
Exchange of information on bills relating to penal and prison matters
Juvenile delinquency
Harmonisation of penal provisions of concern of the Rome treaty
Studies on the international validity of penal sentences
European Convention on Human Rights
Draft uniform law on arbitration
3rd conference, Dublin (Ireland), 1964
Measures to promote the comparative study of laws
Information on foreign law
The uniform interpretation of European treaties
State immunity
After care for conditionally sentenced or conditionally released offenders
4th conference, Berlin (Germany), 1966
Law reform
Exchange of young lawyers
Prevention of new divergencies between the laws of member States
Standardisation of judicial documents
Short term treatment of offenders
Improving the efficacy of legal instruments for crime control at international level
5th conference, London (United Kingdom), 1968
6th conference, The Hague
(Netherlands), 1970
7th conference, Basel
(Switzerland), 1972
8th conference, Lidingo
, (Sweden), 1973
9th conference, Vienna
(Austria), 1974
1975, informal conference, Obernai (France)
10th conference, Brussels
(Belgium), 1976
Current and future developments in family law
Alternative measures to imprisonment
Mass media legislation in member States
Measures to combat new forms of concerted acts of violence
11th conference, Copenhagen
(Denmark), 1978
Problems posed by prisoners of foreign nationality
Access to justice
How can modern administration meet the needs of the citizen
The death penalty
Forfeiture of rights in penal law
1979, informal conference, Aix-la-Chapelle (France)
12th conference, Luxembourg
, 1980
1981, informal conference, Montreux
(Switzerland)
13th conference, Athens
(Greece), 1982
1983, informal conference Rome (Italy)
14th conference, Madrid
(Spain), 1984
1985, informal conference, Edinburgh (United Kingdom)
15th Conference : Oslo (Norway), 1986
1987, informal conference, Helsinki
(Finland)
16th Conference : Lisbon
(Portugal), 1988
Criminal law
and criminological questions raised by the propagation of infectious diseases, including AIDS
The supremacy of the interests of the child in the field of private law
Sexual exploitation, pornography
and prostitution
of and trafficking
in children and young women
Elaboration of a draft convention on interstate cooperation in the penal field
Improving the implementation of Council of Europe conventions in the field of private law
1989, informal conference, The Hague
(Netherlands)
Legal problems in connection with modern payment systems
17th conference : Istanbul
(Turkey), 1990
Protection of the environment through criminal law
The legal heritage of the Council of Europe : its role in reinforcing links with the countries of Eastern Europe
1991, informal conference, Ottawa
(Canada)
Sentencing
18th Conference : Nicosia
(Cyprus), 1992
Rule of law
Criminal aspects of the market economy
The draft Convention on civil liability
for damage resulting from activities dangerous to the environment
1993, informal conference, Lugano
(Switzerland)
Protection of minorities
19th Conference, 14–15 June 1994, Valletta
(Malta)
Corruption
1995, informal conference, Bucharest
(Romania)
20th Conference, 11–12 June 1996, Budapest
(Hungary)
Efficiency and fairness of civil, criminal and administrative justice
21st Conference, 10–11 June 1997, Prague
(Czech Republic)
22nd Conference, 17–18 June 1999, Chişinău
(Moldova)
23rd Conference, 8–9 June 2000, London (United Kingdom)
24th Conference, 4–5 October 2001, Moscow (Russian Federation)
25th Conference, 9–10 October 2003, Sofia
(Bulgaria)
26th Conference, 7–8 April 2005, Helsinki
(Finland)
27th Conference, 12–13 October 2006, Yerevan
(Armenia)
Victims: place, rights and assistance
28th Conference, 25–26 October 2007, Lanzarote
(Spain)
Emerging issues of access to justice for vulnerable groups, in particular:
- migrants and asylum seekers;
- and children, including children as perpetrators of crime"
29th Conference, 17–19 June 2009, Tromsø
(Norway)
Breaking the silence – united against domestic violence
The report for 2 was published without reference.
Reports for 3 to 11 and the Obernai conference were published in the "CMJ" series of documents.
Reports from the 12 onwards and reports for informal conferences since 1981 have been published in the "MJU" series of documents.
No report was published for the 1979 conference.
The report of the 19th conference has also been published as a paying publication.
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
have been organising Conferences of Ministers of Justice (MJU) on a regular basis since 1961. They constitute an important forum of exchange and coordination of legal policy at the pan-European level. They are one of the best know of the Council of Europe's Conferences of Specialised Ministers
Conference of Specialised Ministers
The organisation of a Conference of Specialised Ministers is a traditional working method of the Council of Europe.The purpose of such conferences is to define and pursue the goals of the Council of Europe’s intergovernmental activities in their particular fields of competence...
.
Preparation of these conferences is the joint responsibility of the European Committee on legal co-operation (CDCJ) and the European Committee on Crime Problems (CDPC)
The Ministers of Justice usually meet each year. On a year when there is not a formal (numbered) conference, an informal ministerial conference is usually organised. Each conference is devoted to one or more themes.
Past conferences and themes
1st conference, Paris (France), 1961Draft convention on road traffic offences
Draft recommendation on rights of prisoners
Prisoners' rights
The rights of civil and military prisoners are governed by both national and international law. International conventions include: the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; the United Nations' Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners and the European Committee for the...
Juvenile delinquency
Juvenile delinquency
Juvenile delinquency is participation in illegal behavior by minors who fall under a statutory age limit. Most legal systems prescribe specific procedures for dealing with juveniles, such as juvenile detention centers. There are a multitude of different theories on the causes of crime, most if not...
Council of Europe activities in the field of criminological research
2nd conference, Rome (Italy), 1962
Draft convention on supervision on conditionally released offenders
Exchange of information on bills relating to penal and prison matters
Juvenile delinquency
Juvenile delinquency
Juvenile delinquency is participation in illegal behavior by minors who fall under a statutory age limit. Most legal systems prescribe specific procedures for dealing with juveniles, such as juvenile detention centers. There are a multitude of different theories on the causes of crime, most if not...
Harmonisation of penal provisions of concern of the Rome treaty
Studies on the international validity of penal sentences
European Convention on Human Rights
European Convention on Human Rights
The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms is an international treaty to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe. Drafted in 1950 by the then newly formed Council of Europe, the convention entered into force on 3 September 1953...
Draft uniform law on arbitration
3rd conference, Dublin (Ireland), 1964
Measures to promote the comparative study of laws
Information on foreign law
The uniform interpretation of European treaties
State immunity
After care for conditionally sentenced or conditionally released offenders
4th conference, Berlin (Germany), 1966
Law reform
Law reform
Law reform or Legal reform is the process of examining existing laws, and advocating and implementing changes in a legal system, usually with the aim of enhancing justice or efficiency....
Exchange of young lawyers
Prevention of new divergencies between the laws of member States
Standardisation of judicial documents
Short term treatment of offenders
Improving the efficacy of legal instruments for crime control at international level
5th conference, London (United Kingdom), 1968
6th conference, The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
(Netherlands), 1970
7th conference, Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
(Switzerland), 1972
8th conference, Lidingo
Lidingö
Lidingö is an island in the inner Stockholm archipelago, located north east of central Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. It is also the seat of Lidingö Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 44,000 inhabitants in 2011....
, (Sweden), 1973
9th conference, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
(Austria), 1974
1975, informal conference, Obernai (France)
10th conference, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
(Belgium), 1976
Current and future developments in family law
Family law
Family law is an area of the law that deals with family-related issues and domestic relations including:*the nature of marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships;...
Alternative measures to imprisonment
Mass media legislation in member States
Measures to combat new forms of concerted acts of violence
11th conference, Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
(Denmark), 1978
Problems posed by prisoners of foreign nationality
Nationality
Nationality is membership of a nation or sovereign state, usually determined by their citizenship, but sometimes by ethnicity or place of residence, or based on their sense of national identity....
Access to justice
How can modern administration meet the needs of the citizen
The death penalty
Forfeiture of rights in penal law
Penal law
In the most general sense, penal is the body of laws that are enforced by the State in its own name and impose penalties for their violation, as opposed to civil law that seeks to redress private wrongs...
1979, informal conference, Aix-la-Chapelle (France)
12th conference, Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
, 1980
1981, informal conference, Montreux
Montreux
Montreux is a municipality in the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.It is located on Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps and has a population, , of and nearly 90,000 in the agglomeration.- History :...
(Switzerland)
13th conference, Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
(Greece), 1982
1983, informal conference Rome (Italy)
14th conference, Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
(Spain), 1984
1985, informal conference, Edinburgh (United Kingdom)
15th Conference : Oslo (Norway), 1986
1987, informal conference, Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
(Finland)
16th Conference : Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
(Portugal), 1988
Criminal law
Criminal law
Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...
and criminological questions raised by the propagation of infectious diseases, including AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
The supremacy of the interests of the child in the field of private law
Private law
Private law is that part of a civil law legal system which is part of the jus commune that involves relationships between individuals, such as the law of contracts or torts, as it is called in the common law, and the law of obligations as it is called in civilian legal systems...
Sexual exploitation, pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
and prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
of and trafficking
Human trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
in children and young women
Elaboration of a draft convention on interstate cooperation in the penal field
Improving the implementation of Council of Europe conventions in the field of private law
1989, informal conference, The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
(Netherlands)
Legal problems in connection with modern payment systems
17th conference : Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
(Turkey), 1990
Protection of the environment through criminal law
The legal heritage of the Council of Europe : its role in reinforcing links with the countries of Eastern Europe
1991, informal conference, Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
(Canada)
Sentencing
Sentence (law)
In law, a sentence forms the final explicit act of a judge-ruled process, and also the symbolic principal act connected to his function. The sentence can generally involve a decree of imprisonment, a fine and/or other punishments against a defendant convicted of a crime...
18th Conference : Nicosia
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
(Cyprus), 1992
Rule of law
Rule of law
The rule of law, sometimes called supremacy of law, is a legal maxim that says that governmental decisions should be made by applying known principles or laws with minimal discretion in their application...
Criminal aspects of the market economy
Market economy
A market economy is an economy in which the prices of goods and services are determined in a free price system. This is often contrasted with a state-directed or planned economy. Market economies can range from hypothetically pure laissez-faire variants to an assortment of real-world mixed...
The draft Convention on civil liability
Legal liability
Legal liability is the legal bound obligation to pay debts.* In law a person is said to be legally liable when they are financially and legally responsible for something. Legal liability concerns both civil law and criminal law. See Strict liability. Under English law, with the passing of the Theft...
for damage resulting from activities dangerous to the environment
1993, informal conference, Lugano
Lugano
Lugano is a city of inhabitants in the city proper and a total of over 145,000 people in the agglomeration/city region, in the south of Switzerland, in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, which borders Italy...
(Switzerland)
Protection of minorities
19th Conference, 14–15 June 1994, Valletta
Valletta
Valletta is the capital of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta, and the historical city has a population of 6,098. The name "Valletta" is traditionally reserved for the historic walled citadel that serves as Malta's...
(Malta)
Corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
1995, informal conference, Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
(Romania)
20th Conference, 11–12 June 1996, Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
(Hungary)
Efficiency and fairness of civil, criminal and administrative justice
21st Conference, 10–11 June 1997, Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
(Czech Republic)
22nd Conference, 17–18 June 1999, Chişinău
Chisinau
Chișinău is the capital and largest municipality of Moldova. It is also its main industrial and commercial centre and is located in the middle of the country, on the river Bîc...
(Moldova)
23rd Conference, 8–9 June 2000, London (United Kingdom)
24th Conference, 4–5 October 2001, Moscow (Russian Federation)
25th Conference, 9–10 October 2003, Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
(Bulgaria)
26th Conference, 7–8 April 2005, Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
(Finland)
27th Conference, 12–13 October 2006, Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
(Armenia)
Victims: place, rights and assistance
28th Conference, 25–26 October 2007, Lanzarote
Lanzarote
Lanzarote , a Spanish island, is the easternmost of the autonomous Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 125 km off the coast of Africa and 1,000 km from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering 845.9 km2, it stands as the fourth largest of the islands...
(Spain)
Emerging issues of access to justice for vulnerable groups, in particular:
- migrants and asylum seekers;
- and children, including children as perpetrators of crime"
29th Conference, 17–19 June 2009, Tromsø
Tromsø
Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population...
(Norway)
Breaking the silence – united against domestic violence
Documentation
The report for 1 was published as CEPC(61)16.The report for 2 was published without reference.
Reports for 3 to 11 and the Obernai conference were published in the "CMJ" series of documents.
Reports from the 12 onwards and reports for informal conferences since 1981 have been published in the "MJU" series of documents.
No report was published for the 1979 conference.
The report of the 19th conference has also been published as a paying publication.