European civil procedure has emerged as an independent and dynamic field of policy making, research and teaching. Influenced by human rights law, EU consumer law, and resulting from the extended EU competence in judicial cooperation since the Treaty of Amsterdam, national procedural systems have been increasingly Europeanised.

This volume offers a comprehensive overview of the main developments shaping civil justice in Europe. It analyses the harmonisation of cross-border litigation through EU regulations on jurisdiction, recognition and enforcement, service of documents, and taking of evidence, as well as the creation of European procedures such as the Order for Payment, Small Claims Procedure, and Account Preservation Order.

Beyond these core instruments, the book explores collective redress, ADR and ODR, specialised courts, legal aid, costs and funding, and soft-law harmonisation. It concludes with perspectives on EU enlargement, non-European jurisdictions, and the broader challenges facing civil justice today.