Deliverable 2.3 - Comprehensive report detailing findings, analyses, and recommendations - CREA3 Project

Deliverable D2.3 aims to provide a comprehensive analytical report on the current configuration and functioning of asset division procedures in family law across six EU Member States - Belgium, Croatia, Estonia, Italy, Lithuania, and Slovenia. It builds upon the data and insights collected under deliverables D2.1 and D2.2, and represents the culminating output of Work Package 2 (WP2) within the CREA3 project.

The deliverable’s primary objective is to offer a structured, comparative understanding of the procedural steps, opportunities, and bottlenecks encountered in national divorce and inheritance contexts. It does so with a view to informing the design and implementation of digital justice tools - including the CREA3 platform, algorithms, and conversational interface - and ensuring that such tools align with both the operational realities of legal professionals and the broader imperatives of EU justice policy.

More specifically, deliverable D2.3 serves the following key functions:

●    It models and schematises the relevant legal processes as they relate to the division and liquidation of assets in cross-border family disputes, identifying key decision points, procedural inefficiencies, and areas of institutional inertia;

● It assesses potential opportunities for streamlining or enhancing these procedures, especially through digital tools, videoconferencing, and remote document management, with attention to usability for vulnerable groups;

●      It analyses potential bottlenecks and structural constraints, such as fragmented institutional competencies, digital infrastructure gaps, or resistance to innovation among legal actors;

●      It schematised evidence-based recommendations for legal process improvements that can inform both national reform agendas and the implementation of the Regulation on the digitalisation of judicial cooperation and access to justice in cross-border civil, commercial, and criminal matters (Regulation (EU) 2023/2844).

Deliverable D2.3 is explicitly aligned with the strategic objectives of CREA3 and of the Justice Programme more broadly. It responds to the call’s emphasis on improving access to justice, particularly for vulnerable users, through digital transformation and cross-border interoperability. At the same time, the deliverable contributes to a growing body of empirical legal research that seeks to integrate legal design, stakeholder engagement, and technology assessment into the reform of civil justice.

This deliverable draws upon a diverse methodological base: qualitative interview data with over 60 legal practitioners (judges, lawyers, notaries, mediators); document and process analysis at national level; and a comparative legal mapping framework that ensures consistency and coherence across jurisdictions. It is structured to facilitate the transition from descriptive assessment to prescriptive insights, thus supporting the CREA3 project's overarching goal of piloting digital, AI-enhanced pathways for equitable dispute resolution in family law.