On May 25, 2015, the Slovak parliament adopted three new codices, the Civil Procedural Code for Adversarial Proceedings (the “Adversarial Procedure Code”), the Civil Procedural Code for Non-Adversarial Proceedings and the Administrative Procedural Code. The new rules represent a major overhaul of Slovak procedural rules and, effective from July 1, 2016, will replace the Civil Procedural Code that has been amended more than 80 times over the course of its existence.

Among the main additions of the Adversarial Procedure Code is that the parties will be able to present evidence only within the time-limits as predetermined by the judge. A welcome addition is also a new instrument of pre-trial hearing that will enable the court to evaluate whether the procedural conditions are met and give parties ample opportunity to resolve their dispute amicably before the proceedings commence.

Other novelties include specialization of courts through introduction of new rules on causal competence and increased employee and consumer protection under which the court will be able to secure evidence on behalf of the so-called “weaker” party. The Adversarial Procedure Code is accompanied by two more codices, the Civil Procedural Code for Non-Adversarial Proceedings and the Administrative Procedural Code. The new framework established by the three codices is expected to significantly reduce the average length of court proceedings.