A tool for civil law notaries in Europe – in 21 EU Member States

At its meeting in Marseille on 11 October 2006, the Council of the Notariats of the European Union (CNUE), the official body representing the notarial profession in Europe, decided to create the European Notarial Network (ENN) (CNUE position paper).

The ENN is a tool that deals with cross-border cases being handled by the civil law notaries of the CNUE’s 21 member notariats.

The ENN’s purpose is to help civil law notaries who are confronted with practical questions with a cross-border element.

Its political objective is to facilitate the European notariat’s integration into the European Judicial Network in civil and commercial matters in the medium and long term.

Creating a European legal area – the notariat is taking part!

There is an ever-increasing number of citizens who forge links with the citizens of another State for professional or family reasons. The need for legal consultation brought about by intra-European mobility comes within the spectrum of notarial services.
As civil law notaries are at the service of families, they expect to play an active role in this area. Legal certainty and equal access to justice for citizens and families in Europe are key elements.

Are you dealing with a cross-border case? What is the ENN’s mission?

Have you been called upon to deal with a cross-border case? A succession, the creation of a company or a marriage contract containing a cross-border element in the European Union? The ENN is there to support and inform you:

      ... when you need to know about the need and/or the option to apply the authentic form.

      ... if you are looking for colleagues with the languages necessary to deal with a case.

      ... if you intend to submit a request to a particular civil law notary established in the country of destination.

The network of interlocutors of the CNUE’s 21 notarial organisations makes it possible to provide immediate support for European civil law notaries.

The ENN offers technical support!

The ENN does not provide legal advice. Its mission is rather to supply technical support to facilitate procedures carried out by civil law notaries that involve a foreign element.

Application of EU instruments in your country

Your ENN interlocutor can also inform you about the application and transposition of EU legislation in your country.

Franco Frattini, 26 April 2006, Brussels:

“The European Civil Judicial network is a key tool in the task of improving judicial co-operation between the Member States. I am convinced that legal practitioners, especially the notaries, can and should be more fully involved in the Network’s activities”.  (Letter from Franco Frattini of 19 December 2006)

Who can I contact?

Civil law notaries can send a written request to their national interlocutor, who will then deal with the request immediately or decide to contact a foreign interlocutor from one of the 20 other ENN partner organisations.
Requests must be made in the form of specific questions; whole case files cannot be sent.

ENN – the European legal area needs practical solutions!

The ENN: improving cross-border cooperation – a practical contribution to speed up procedures, particularly the out-of-court procedures applied by civil law notaries.

For further information on the ENN and the EU notariats’ other activities, please visit the CNUE’s website: www.cnue.eu.

ENN member notariats:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain.