Actual Issues of Remote Court Hearings in Administrative Procedure

Abstract

Abstract The aim of the e‐Justice strategy is to improve the implementation of the right to justice, cooperation between judicial authorities and the effectiveness of justice itself. Much attention has been paid to the computerization of court proceedings. Remote court hearings were recognized and described in the legal acts of the European Union and Lithuania already at the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century. However, this approach has not been widely used due to technical problems and insufficient regulation. The Covid‐19 pandemic affected all life and the economy. In order to preserve the human right to justice, not to interrupt the work of courts, remote court hearings were held. It has been found that in administrative justice, especially when organizing the work of quasi‐judicial structures, such hearings can be applied almost without problems. Therefore, the organization of remote meetings in administrative courts and quasi‐judicial organizations was continued during the non‐ quarantine year, depending on the wishes of the participants in the proceedings. However, the widespread use of teleconferencing and videoconferencing in the work of courts has identified the need to improve Lithuania’s legal framework. The article analyses the peculiarities of remote administrative procedure and legal regulation.