From 10 to 22 June 2019 public servants working at the international cooperation departments of courts from all over China visited Hamburg and Munich to learn more about the German legal system and international legal assistance.
The delegation started the training course in Feldafing, near Munich, at the GIZ International Training Center. Here several guest speakers informed the delegation on subjects such as the German court system and court jurisdiction, basic legal principles and the typical procedure in civil and criminal cases. Representatives of the German Federal Bar and of the Munich Bar gave a lecture on the role and position of lawyers in the German legal system. The last two days of the first week were spent in Munich. On Thursday the delegation attended a lecture at the Bavarian State Ministry of Justice on legal education and the necessary qualifications to become a judge in Germany. Also on Thursday the delegation visited the Public Prosecution Office in Munich to learn about the role and position of the public prosecutor in Germany. On Thursday and Friday the delegation visited court sessions in both a criminal and civil case, to get a more practical insight in the German legal system.
From 16 until 22 June the delegation visited Hamburg. Professors and lecturers from the University of Hamburg and from the Max Planck Institute for comparative and international private law informed the delegation on subjects such as European Law, the role of the Max Planck Institute, (international) execution of court verdicts in Civil and Criminal law and arbitration. On Thursday the delegation visited the Ministry of Justice of Hamburg, where they were informed on the management of courts. In the afternoon the delegation had the opportunity to visit a detention center. On Friday the delegation attended one last court session, where several witnesses were being heard in a complicated criminal case.
The aim of this two weeks training course was to give the participants insight in principles underlining and functioning of the German legal system. The participants will return to their jobs in China, where they will organize international study trips for Chinese judges, with an increased knowledge of the country many of these judges will visit.