International service of foreign judicial and extrajudicial documents is governed in general by the 1965 Hague Service Convention.

This principle permeates the Convention on the service of judicial and extrajudicial documents in civil or commercial matters which was adopted in 1997, but which has still not entered into force.

Request for Service Abroad of Judicial or Extrajudicial Documents (formerly OBD 116 and LAA 116)

Council Regulation (EC) No. 1393/2007 on the service in the Member States of judicial and extrajudicial documents in civil or commercial matters is a European Union regulation in the field of judicial cooperation.

Some examples include the European Convention on Extradition, the European Convention on the service of judicial and extrajudicial documents in civil or commercial matters and the Protocol to the Convention on the protection of the Communities' financial interests.

With regard to the votes for tomorrow Thursday, the vote on the report by Mr Gauzès on the service in the Member States of judicial and extrajudicial documents in civil and commercial matters is being postponed, with a view to trying to reach an agreement at first reading.

The Special Commission 'encouraged the Central Authorities to serve extrajudicial documents not emanating from an authority or from a judicial officer if these documents were of a type which normally would call for the intervention of an authority in their countries', a striking example of the generous approach taken in operating this Convention.

As far as the proposal for a regulation is concerned, by reducing the time it takes to transmit judicial and extrajudicial documents from one Member State to another, we are adopting an instrument which will enable the judicial processes to progress in the best conditions of speed and legal security whilst preserving the rights of all parties involved.