The project Fact-finding in Civil Proceedings runs from the beginning of 2023 to the end of 2024. The project compares the role of litigants, lawyers, and the judge in the fact-finding process in civil proceedings in Belgium, Germany, France, and the Netherlands.

The first phase of the project consisted of the pre-publication of four country reports. Experts from Belgium, Germany, France and the Netherlands have shown how fact-finding takes place in their civil proceedings, and on how behaviours that hinder fact-finding are sanctioned. 

The second phase consisted of the publication of the country reports with a comparative analysis on four sub-topics:

• The extensiveness of the document starting the proceedings
• Does a form of nemo tenetur apply in civil law?
• The role of the judge in fact-gathering
• Is there a duty to tell the truth; if so: is it upheld?

The third phase was the symposium that the NVvP has organized for its members on 21 June 2024, on the aforementioned four sub-topics