Dutch Judiciary Advances Digital Justice Procedures

2025-04-20 data

The Hague, Sunday, 20 April 2025.
The Netherlands enhances its legal system with innovative digital procedures, aiming to improve justice access while saving time and optimizing resources.

Modernization Through Proven Technology

The Dutch judiciary (Rechtspraak) is implementing digital systems using a careful, step-by-step approach with proven technologies to minimize risks. This strategic digitalization is overseen by IVO Rechtspraak, the judiciary’s ICT service provider [1]. The system’s effectiveness is regularly tested by both judicial staff and legal professionals before widespread implementation, with new features first being piloted at select courts before national rollout [1].

Scale and Impact

The digital transformation impacts a significant judicial infrastructure, with the Rechtspraak handling approximately 1.8 million cases annually through its network of over 2,500 judges and 7,500 support staff [4]. On April 14, 2025, State Secretary for Legal Protection Teun Struycken emphasized that ‘access to justice must be comprehensible, accessible, and low-threshold for everyone’ during a visit to discuss the digitalization strategy [4].

Digital Accessibility Initiative

Since 2018, the Council for the Judiciary has shifted its focus from automating legal procedures to enhancing digital accessibility through the Digital Access Project (Project DT) [1]. This initiative aims to enable paperless processing of administrative and civil law procedures for both legal seekers and their representatives [1]. The project builds upon digital achievements in supervision, criminal law, and administrative law established during the Quality and Innovation program (KEI 2014-2018) [1].

Security and Future Development

The system places strong emphasis on digital security during court sessions and maintains continuous monitoring of the IT landscape to ensure a stable digital infrastructure [4]. The Rechtspraak’s commitment to accessibility aligns with broader government initiatives for digital inclusion, ensuring that digital services are available to all citizens regardless of their circumstances [6].

Bronnen

digital procedures justice access