Nicosia: The introduction of the Debt Officer/Schuldenfunctionaris in court proceedings concerning individuals with problematic debts, submitted by the Netherlands, emerged as the winner of the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice’s (CEPEJ) Crystal Scales Prize 2025 Award. The award ceremony took place at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia, organized by the Cyprus Judicial Training School and ‘Hope For Children’ CRC Policy Center, the winners of the 2023 competition.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the ‘Crystal Scales of Justice’ Prize, established in 2005, is a competition dedicated to discovering and highlighting innovative and efficient practices that enhance the functioning of justice, judicial procedures, or the organization of courts. CEPEJ President Francesco Depasquale highlighted the importance of the event, emphasizing its unique opportunity to spotlight innovative initiatives and improve everyday judicial procedures.
The 2025 competition received 26 entries from 16 Council of Europe member states. CEPEJ organizes this biannual prize to facilitate the exchange of best practices. The 2023 winner was Cyprus’ Judicial Training School and ‘Hope For Children’ CRC Policy Center for their ‘Kids in Court Game’ initiative, aimed at preparing children to testify in court. Depasquale praised the initiative’s practical application and the jury’s ability to identify effective practices.
Fran§ois Paych¨re, President of the Jury, stressed the global challenges to the rule of law and the prize’s role in addressing these challenges by improving judicial services for citizens. He was joined by jury members Simon Cardon de Lichtbuer, Svjetlana Milisic Velickovski, and Phani Hadjiphani.
The Dutch ‘Schuldenfunctionaris/Debt Officer’ project, one of three finalists, introduced a debt officer to court proceedings to guide individuals towards debt counseling. Since 2023, this tool has been utilized in every court in the Netherlands. The jury commended the project for assisting disadvantaged litigants and appreciated the holistic approach of judges in addressing debt-related issues.
Upon receiving the award, the Dutch team expressed their honor and hope for broader European implementation of their initiative. The projects from Spain and Belgium received special mentions. Spain’s project focused on hyper-automation of payment procedures, significantly reducing resolution times and enhancing efficiency. Belgium’s initiative involved creating a Center for Conservatorship, supporting an increasing population under conservatorship due to aging.
The jury praised Spain’s project for its efficiency and Belgium’s for addressing conservatorship, a less commonly tackled area, underscoring the judiciary’s efforts to connect with citizens and meet their needs.
Before the awards ceremony, stakeholders in child-friendly justice in Cyprus shared experiences of the ‘Kids in Court Game,’ highlighting its positive impact on children’s court experiences.