- The Minister opened the Justice Leaders’ Dialogue at the 10th OECD Global Roundtable on Equal Access to Justice
The Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes, Félix Bolaños, opened today the Justice Leaders’ Dialogue, the main session at the 10th OECD Global Roundtable on Equal Access to Justice, to be held from 12 to 14 November at the Royal Collections Gallery. The event has gathered high level representatives from over 40 countries, including ministers and secretaries of Justice, as well as multilateral bodies, international experts and civil society organizations.
During his talk, the Minister underlined the need to promote profound reforms that enable the legal systems to meet the pace of social changes. He pointed out that justice must be considered an essential public service, and highlighted its role as one of the powers of the State, guaranteeing rights, a key piece of the social State and the lever for real equality. In this sense, he defended that Justice cannot allow the gap between the pace of reforms and the pace of social change to continue growing.
The Minister also warned about the impact of new global challenges, such as artificial intelligence, climate emergency, inequality or polarization, and advocated for the need to address these with structural reforms, long-term planning and international cooperation.
The Spanish experience: the greatest transformation of Justice in decades
In his speech, Bolaños presented to the international community the modernization Spain has been carrying out in the legal system. He noted that, in spite of the quality of the institutions, for decades they remained anchored in 19th century structures, which is the why the Government decided to promote a profound reform, sustainable over time.
Among the key measures, he mentioned implementation of the Instance Courts, which have replaced single-judge courts and provide a more efficient organization, with better use of resources and shorter response times. The judicial districts that operate with this model have reported significant reductions in case backlogs.
He also highlighted the spread of the Justice Offices in the Municipality, present in thousands of towns, which facilitate transactions without having to travel, doing away with access barriers related to mobility, age or economic status. Likewise, he discussed consolidation of the culture of out-of-court settlements, which help resolve conflicts more quickly and satisfactorily, easing the court workload.
The Minister valued the programme of the Seré Grants, which remove socioeconomic barriers to access the Judicial and Prosecutor Careers, and recognition of the right to clear language in court rulings, using technological tools that adapt the texts to every individual’s level of understanding. Finally, he underlined the efforts to guarantee digital interoperability in a decentralized judicial system, a key element to advance toward the paperless goals.
Meeting agenda: leadership, cooperation and reforms focusing on people
Sessions will be held throughout the day aimed at building legal systems that inspire trust and contribute to common prosperity. The international delegations shall share their experiences with institutional modernization, digitization, artificial intelligence applied to Justice, impact on vulnerable groups, and strategies for evaluation and measurement of results.
The heads of the various delegations, international bodies, public institutions and representatives of organizations such as the AECID, the Open Government Partnership and Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies, shall work on a common roadmap that strengthens equal access to Justice and broadens international cooperation.
The 10th OECD Global Roundtable on Equal Access to Justice, bolsters Spain’s position as an international benchmark in judicial innovation, reinforcing collaboration with international partners to build more accessible, efficient legal systems focusing on people.
