Introduction of E-Files at Courts is proceeding as planned

Justice - Introduction of E-Files at Courts is proceeding as planned

The implementation of the E-File at courts and prosecutors' offices in Lower Saxony is running according to plan. "We are on a good track. The labor courts have already been completely switched, the social courts, the finance court and many administrative courts as well", stated Justice Minister Kathrin Wahlmann (SPD) to the German Press Agency in Hannover.

According to the Minister, all Higher Regional and District Courts work with the E-File in general civil matters, and the Amtsgerichte are coming on board successively. "Where it is currently still lagging behind are criminal matters, because close cooperation with the police is required there and the systems are not yet compatible", explained the Minister. According to the plans of the Ministry, all courts and prosecutors' offices in the state should be working with the E-File by the end of 2025.

In response to the question of whether the increasing work with electronic files leads to more hacker attacks, Wahlmann said: "We have had ongoing hacker attacks on our systems, even before the E-File came. But all of these have been successfully repelled so far."

The German Judges' Association (DRB) had previously urged the federal and state governments to advance faster in the digitalization of the justice authorities and to make more money available for this purpose.

1. The Prosecutor's Office in Lower Saxony is also expected to adopt the E-File system by the end of 2025, as part of the state's plans.
2. The SDP's Justice Minister Kathrin Wahlmann commended the progress of the E-File implementation, highlighting the successful transition of labor, social, finance, and administrative courts in Hannover.
3. The German Press Agency reported that Kathrin Wahlmann acknowledged the challenges in digitalizing criminal matters due to the need for compatible systems with the police.
4. In response to concerns about increased cyber threats due to the shift to digital files, Kathrin Wahlmann of the SDP assured that all hacker attacks on the justice system in Hannover, including pre-E-File attempts, have been effectively thwarted.

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