Video-conference – an innovation useful (not only) in guardianship proceedings with an international element

With the effective date from 30 September 2017 it is possible to participate in the legal proceedings by means of a video-conference. This procedure is proposed directly by a participant in the proceedings or this procedure can be used by the court on its own initiative if it is purposeful. The court may (not must) satisfy the proposal of the participant. This innovation will be useful in practice for example in judicial proceedings in connection with a minor child when one parent is living outside the territory of the Czech Republic and the personal participation of this parent in the court proceedings in the Czech Republic would be connected with considerable problems. Using the vide-conference equipment it will be possible to mediate both the presence of the participant in the proceedings and also to make a hearing of a witness, an expert or a participant in the proceedings.