On the 12th of March 2026, in Rome, were presented the interim results of the EU cofounded initiative Justice Without Litigation (JuWiLi 2). This project involves 29 organisations from 22 EU States, with the aim of developing new strategies to support judicial systems and facilitate access to civil justice for EU citizens.
At the roundtable "Think Digital! Innovative procedures, new possibilities," ARERT Director François-Xavier Bary explained that digital innovation has been the organization’s core driver for two decades now, since the launch of the RERT platform, a digital tool designed to interconnect last will and European Certificates of Succession (ECS) registriesThis network has significantly improved legal certainty for cross-succession matters by streamlining the process of verifying the existence of wills and ECS. Even in cases where technological gaps between countries prevent full automation, ARERT has implemented effective alternatives, such as the use of secured websites.
Today, the focus has shifted towardArtificial Intelligence. While not yet part of the core interconnection process, AI is already proving its worth by handling complex data queries for national registers interconnected. In France, for example, where regulations may restrict the use of ID numbers, AI is used by the French will register (FCDDV), to assist in reconciling searches based on names, surnames, and dates of birth. It effectively resolves over 95% of discrepancies caused by spelling variations or conflicting data points.
Looking ahead, AI could be utilized to bridge language barriers, providing more accurate translations and better interpretations of ECS. While AI will continue to assist notaries with administrative tasks, notaries cannot use it in the public domain. The notary profession requires certified data and strict oversight of algorithms. As François-Xavier Bary emphasized, while AI is user-friendly, it is not yet foolproof. The path forward for the notary profession requires a strategic balance of data security, staff upskilling, and rigorous planning..
