Objectives
The efficient recovery of debts in cross-border cases is universally recognized as being of vital importance. The EU has passed Regulations on the European Enforcement Order (EEO; 805/2004), the European Payment Order (EPO; 1896/2006), the Small Claims Procedure (ESCP; 861/2007), and the European Account Preservation Order (EAPO; 655/2014), all of which are optional for claimants. The project aims at analysing how practitioners actually choose between those instruments, at disseminating knowledge about their application, and at raising awareness among practitioners.
Activities
First, the consortium plans to employ quantitative research methods. An English-language database for the cases before national courts and the CJEU will be compiled for the period since 21 October 2005. Secondly, interviews with practitioners will be conducted in order to discern their preferred enforcement strategies. Thirdly, we will organise workshops and a final conference in order to have practitioners, policy-makers and other academics involved.
Type and number of persons benefitting from the project
Making informed choices concerning cross-border enforcement is vital both for professionals, in particular small and medium enterprises, and for consumers.
Expected Results
The innovative research will allow us to better assess the most recent reforms (EAPO, ESCP, EPO) and to enhance the visibility of the Regulations. The database shall be made publicly available and linked to the e-justice portal, in order to raise awareness and facilitate informed choices. All results will be properly disseminated to attain as many stakeholders as possible.
Type and number of outputs to be produced
The output will be both practical and policy-orientated. In addition to the database, the main results of the research are intended to be published in a book targeted at an academic audience in which we will propose ways to further improve the consistency and effectiveness of the current framework.