Our BESp project marked the International Day on the Enforcement Officer by organizing a Regional Conference “The Enforcement agent as the trusted third party” on 14th June 2024 in Sofia, Bulgaria, dedicated to enlarging the competences of the enforcement agents and strengthening disciplinary responsibility and public trust. The conference was opened by BESp Project Manager and Senior Expert Ms. Zlaty Mihailova and the Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of the Netherlands Mr. Jurrien van der Horst. It had more than 45 participants in the room and more than 20 online, representatives of the Chambers of Enforcement Agents in Albania, Bulgaria, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Montenegro, the Ministry of Justice, Judicial Training Institutions, media and enforcement agents.
BESp Lead Expert Mr. Jos Uitdehaag from the Netherlands presented the practice of enforcement agents in certifying facts, reporting and recording evidence. Accurate and impartial reporting of material facts has been practiced in 40 countries, including some of the countries in the Western Balkans. Adopting this legal instrument in the other participating legal system is an objective that will significantly improve the lives of citizens and businesses giving them fair and binding evidence to avoid or accelerate lawsuits.
This legal instrument has a wide scope of application and drastically shortens the time and costs of gathering evidence in the judicial phase. It provides the court with the opportunity to gain immediate insight into the disputed facts and circumstances.
The other important topic that was discussed at the conference was about voluntary debt collection by bailiffs before court intervention. The Chairman of the Chamber of Private Bailiffs, Georgi Dichev, presented the procedure used in many European countries, representing a three-way dialogue between the creditor, the bailiff and the debtor, which prevent huge costs (especially for small claims) if it comes to a trial and subsequent enforcement.
