The fourth visit of the project took place in Lisbon, Portugal on the 23 & 24 May 2025. It was held back to back with the ICANEPO study visit which took place the day before in Porto and on the morning of the 23 May in Lisbon (https://icanepo.eu/). On the afternoon of the same day the SimpliVi team was received at the Judicial High Council where the current state of play of videoconferencing, especially from a legal and organizational point of view was presented. On the second day the team visited the District Court of Lisbon and met there also with the team responsible for the technical implementation of the videoconferencing solutions from the Institute for the Financial Management and Infrastructures of Justice (IGFEJ).
The discussions with the experts showed that practitioners in Portugal have a very flexible approach to use videoconferences. Both legal and practical issues can usually be overcome by a pragmatic approach that has the agreement of all parties. Since 2017 the law does not mandate a specific tool for videoconferencing, only that both audio & video are required. This means that beside the legacy system, judges may also use commercial systems, in particular Webex which is provided for all courts.
Cross-border videoconferences are highly relevant for Portugal, they are likely the country requesting the most videoconferences in Europe. Besides the open attitude of the practitioners this might also be caused by the geographic location, which increases travel times and costs. Portugal also conducts many videoconferences in other countries, in particular Brazil and Africa. The flexible approach is particularly important here. Especially with African countries there are often no other means but conducting videoconferences via mobile devices, e.g. with WhatsApp or other messenging services.
On the next day at the District Court (situated in the very modern Justice Campus) the team viewed a live demonstration of the traditional videoconferencing facilities in the court room, followed by a demonstration of the new videoconferencing system, which is currently being implemented in Portugal. This was a vivid comparision of the limitations of the more than 20 year old system and the major improvements a state-of-the-art solution can provide. This included not only significant improvements in the audio and video quality, but also many valuable supplementary functions, such as sharing of documents. It will also be integrated with the the CMS and the system for the recording of the court hearings, as these recordings are used as minutes and shall include video in the future.
In the evening of the first day, the project participants visited the Supreme Court of Justice of Portugal in the heart of Lisbon at the Praça do Comércio. Participants could not only explore this magnificent building and its court rooms, but also gained valuable insights in the workings of the Supreme Court and the judicial profession in Portugal.
by Sebastian Leitner
