Justice Minister Adel Nassar concluded a two-day official visit to Brussels on Thursday, where he took part in the European Union’s “Institution Building Days 2026” conference and held a series of high-level meetings with senior EU officials as Beirut seeks to advance long-stalled judicial reforms.

The visit came at the invitation of the European Union and included talks with senior figures from the European Commission and the European External Action Service, alongside participation in discussions focused on governance, rule of law, and institutional strengthening.

Addressing the conference, Nassar outlined Lebanon’s experience in judicial reform, stressing the importance of continued European technical assistance, particularly through instruments such as TAIEX and broader EU justice cooperation programs.

He opened his remarks by referring to Lebanon’s ongoing crisis, saying he was speaking about justice “while the echoes of war still resonate in my country.” He called on the international community to take a stronger stance against violations of international law and human rights, warning that “when justice is trampled in any corner of the world, evil spreads like a cancer across the planet.”

Nassar praised the EU-Lebanon partnership, citing the European Union’s motto “United in diversity” as reflecting Lebanon’s own pluralistic social fabric. He also thanked EU Ambassador to Lebanon Sandra De Waele and her team for what he described as sustained support for judicial reform efforts.

The minister highlighted key steps in Lebanon’s judicial reform process, describing current efforts as the early stages of a broader transformation.

He pointed in particular to the “Justice Forum,” an EU-supported initiative backed by the TAIEX program, which he said had created an unprecedented platform for dialogue among stakeholders involved in legislative drafting, especially during work on the judicial independence bill.

Nassar noted that Lebanon’s Constitutional Council had rejected the draft law on procedural grounds, but said the Ministry of Justice was preparing an updated version. He added that the forum continues to work on additional reform files, including access to justice, juvenile justice, and criminal law, aimed at strengthening institutional credibility and restoring public trust.

He also highlighted cooperation with France in training judges and equipping the Institute of Judicial Studies, describing judicial education as a cornerstone of sustainable reform.

Responding to questions on best practices from EU cooperation, Nassar cited several flagship initiatives.

The first is the digitization of Lebanon’s commercial registry, supported by Germany. He said the project is being implemented gradually under a phased approach—“progressing well rather than progressing fast”—starting with new data before extending to historical records. The goal, he said, is to create a unified digital system that will improve transparency, facilitate access to information, and help combat tax evasion and money laundering through better inter-agency coordination. He thanked Germany for its financial and technical backing.

The second initiative involves French support for the Institute of Judicial Studies, including training programs for judges, institutional capacity building, and equipment upgrades. Nassar described judicial training as essential for long-term reform and praised France’s continued engagement.

A third project, supported by the Netherlands, focuses on improving judicial communication. It aims to establish a platform allowing Lebanon’s Supreme Judicial Council to communicate more effectively with the public and increase transparency around judicial work, in a bid to strengthen public confidence in state institutions.

Nassar also outlined three key priorities for Lebanon’s justice sector going forward.

The first is the digitization of Lebanese courts, designed to connect judicial bodies with litigants and administrative agencies, improve transparency, and strengthen efforts to combat corruption, financial crime, and tax evasion, while enabling more objective performance monitoring within the judiciary.

The second is Lebanon’s accession to international legal frameworks it has not yet joined, particularly the Hague Conference on Private International Law, which would facilitate judicial cooperation and introduce tools such as the Apostille system for document authentication.

The third is advancing cooperation with Eurojust, including finalizing a personal data protection law in line with EU feedback, to enhance cross-border judicial cooperation in combating organized crime.

Nassar said the European Union remains a key reference partner for Lebanon amid global instability, quoting Albert Camus: “Beware, when democracy becomes ill, fascism comes to sit at its bedside, but it does not come to reassure it...”

He reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to democratic principles, human rights, and the development of an independent judiciary capable of restoring confidence both domestically and internationally.

Meetings in Brussels

On the sidelines of the conference, Nassar met Belgian Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden, with discussions focusing on bilateral judicial cooperation, international legal assistance, and the fight against cross-border crime.

He also held meetings with senior European officials, including Ana Gallego Torres, Director-General for Justice and Consumers at the European Commission; Michael Karnitschnig, Acting Director-General for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf; Kajsa Ollongren, EU Special Representative for Human Rights; and Hélène Le Gal, Managing Director for the Middle East and North Africa at the European External Action Service.

Talks covered EU support for Lebanon’s justice reforms, ongoing cooperation programs, and regional developments and their impact on Lebanon’s judicial stability and rule of law.

Nassar left Brussels for France, where he is scheduled to take part in a roundtable discussion at Sciences Po Paris on Friday.