The UINL Congress held in Berlin, Germany, from October 2nd to 4th was a landmark event for the world notariat. Under the leitmotiv “The Notariat on the move: New Technologies – New Roles,” two fundamental topics for the profession were explored:
Theme 1: New Tools – New Frontiers
(International Coordinator: Lovro Tomasic)
After the opening ceremony, honored by the attendance of high-ranking legal and political figures, such as the President of the German Federal Constitutional Court, Prof. Dr. Stephan Harbarth, and the German Federal Minister of Justice, Dr. Stefanie Hubig, several panel discussions were held on the topics of digitalization, automation, and artificial intelligence. Experts from the 93 UINL member notariats examined the opportunities and risks associated with these new technologies, highlighting the central responsibilities of notaries in the face of these innovations.
Theme 2: Non-contentious proceedings – New roles
(International Coordinator: Valentina Rubertelli)
Discussions on the role of the notary as a “magistrate of voluntary jurisdiction” revealed important new notarial missions at the service of the public. Protecting families, vulnerable persons, estate, housing, and businesses, as well as supporting the state in combating money laundering: the non-contentious competences acquired by member notariats provided a rich array of examples and perspectives.
Thanks to the active participation in the round tables of eminent magistrates, representatives of the OECD, and professors (Giacomo Oberto, Secretary General of the International Association of Judges; Yvonne Summer, Austrian magistrate; Janja Roblek, Slovenian magistrate; Maaike de Langen, Senior Policy Advisor at the OECD; Professor Daniela Piana from the University of Bologna), interesting avenues for reflection and proposals were opened for public authorities to improve the functioning of public justice services.
World Notariat University
The international Congress was also an opportunity to gather the top students from the World Notariat University during the 2023-2025 term. A special session was dedicated to this UINL flagship project, initiated by the French notary Jean-Paul Decorps. It allowed students to present their work on the theme of Public Policy, alongside their professors.
International Forum
The International Forum on the theme “The Values of Continental Law – Protection, Prevention, Pacification” took place on the last day of the congress, attended by legal and academic personalities (including French Professor Michel Grimaldi and German Professor Jan Lieder). Its goal was to deeply reflect on the principles and values that characterize continental law and the notarial profession.
