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The Annual Meeting of the Baltic Council of Notaries, traditionally hosted each year in one of the Baltic States, this year brought participants together in Riga. The meeting addressed the past year’s key issues for the notariats, featured a video message from Minister of Justice Inese Lībiņa-Egnere, and included a lecture by Judge Ineta Ziemele of the Court of Justice of the European Union on the Court’s case law relating to notarial matters. A dedicated session was also devoted to developments in digitalisation and to exploring how artificial intelligence could practically support notaries in their daily work.
President of the Latvian Council of Sworn Notaries, Aigars Kaupe, underlined:
“Cooperation among the notaries of the Baltic States is unique in that it is not only a professional exchange of experience – it is also about friendship and trust. Each time we meet in this format, we not only discuss current issues but also strengthen the common voice of the Baltic notariats to represent our interests within the wider European notarial context. We must be aware that every notary is, at the same time, also a European notary, as in our daily work we constantly deal with cross-border matters and foreign clients.”
At the European level, a large-scale comparative law study “JuWiLi II – Justice Without Litigation” is currently underway, with the participation of the Baltic notariats. The project aims to conduct in-depth research and provide evidence-based recommendations to EU notariats on how to expand notaries’ competence in non-contentious matters in the fields of inheritance, family and commercial law, thereby reducing the workload of courts and making services more easily accessible to citizens.
The parties agreed that the Baltic States should be particularly active in sharing their experience, as many significant reforms in this context have already been carried out. For example, in Latvia the workload of courts has been substantially reduced by transferring succession cases and uncontested divorce proceedings to the competence of notaries, as well as by introducing the notarial enforcement deed for contracts executed in the form of a notarial deed. In addition, Latvian notaries have also been entrusted with procedures for discharging natural persons from debt obligations of up to 5,000 euros.
Merle Saar-Johanson, President of the Estonian Chamber of Notaries, also shared experiences regarding the progress of the notarial fee reform in Estonia and the efforts invested in the digitalisation of archives. She emphasised:
“It is always a real pleasure to meet with our Baltic colleagues once a year – these gatherings are truly valuable for open discussions and the sharing of experiences. This year’s programme was particularly inspiring: the presentation by Judge Ineta Ziemele of the Court of Justice of the European Union reminded us of the notary’s important role in the European legal order. We were also interested to learn how in Latvia notaries have been entrusted with new responsibilities, for example in debt relief proceedings. It shows that in Latvia the notary is recognised as a trusted partner and a representative of public authority.”
The Lithuanian colleagues presented the latest amendments to Lithuania’s legislation and highlighted recent legislative initiatives, while also emphasising the growing number of remotely performed notarial acts and the developments in the eNotaras system. Summarising the significance of the meeting, President of the Lithuanian Chamber of Notaries, Marius Stračkaitis, underlined:
“Such meetings strengthen cooperation between the notarial communities of the Baltic States and enable us to jointly seek the best solutions for the development of professional activities. Next year, all colleagues will be warmly welcomed in Lithuania, where this meaningful tradition will continue with the 30th anniversary of the Baltic notaries round table meeting.”
About the Annual Meeting of the Baltic Chambers of Notaries
The Annual Meeting of the Baltic Chambers of Notaries is a well-established tradition that brings together notaries from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia to reflect on the past year’s achievements and to exchange views on key developments at the national, European and international levels. Last year, the meeting was hosted in Estonia, and next year it will take place in Lithuania.
Baltic notarial cooperation extends well beyond the annual meeting. On a daily basis, the notariats exchange information, share best practices and jointly address challenges. They also coordinate common positions within the Council of the Notariats of the European Union (CNUE) and the International Union of Notaries (UINL). This close cooperation underlines the shared commitment of the Baltic notariats to strengthening a reliable, modern, European and citizen-oriented notarial system.
