Court summer holidays in Cyprus are a “very good” system that serves several purposes, Nicosia bar association chairman Stefanos Skordis said on Thursday.

Skordis said similar arrangements were in place in courts in other countries.

In Cyprus, the Supreme Court and district courts observe a summer recess from July 10 to September 9, although cases or other judicial proceedings may still be heard if instructed by the judge responsible.

“These are not exactly holidays,” Skordis said, explaining that while trials were generally not held during the summer period, judges continued to deal with urgent matters.

He said the recess also gave judges and lawyers time to deal with paperwork and other pending matters, as well as prepare for the new judicial year.

For these reasons, Skordis said he saw no need to change the current system.

The summer holiday – with the exception of the last seven days – is not taken into account in the calculation of procedural deadlines, unless the court orders otherwise.

Other European countries have similar arrangements, ranging from special summer court sittings to the postponement of most proceedings.

In Greece, summer court divisions operate from July 1 to September 15 to cover the needs of courts and prosecutors, with only certain categories of cases heard during this period.

In Spain, August is generally considered a non-working month for judicial proceedings, with exceptions for urgent cases.

The same applies in Italy, which only deals with labour disputes in August.

In Belgium, courts close from July 1 till August 31, where the European e-Justice portal identifies consequences, such as postponing some deadlines till September 15.

Ireland is of particular relevance to Cyprus as both have common law legal systems. According to the e-Justice portal, court sittings are limited during judicial holidays, with special sittings available for urgent matters.

During August and September, sittings of Ireland’s High Court and Circuit Court are limited, subject to specific exceptions.

The Court of Justice of the European Union follows a similar system during its judicial holidays, with proceedings generally suspended unless circumstances require immediate attention. Its summer judicial holiday runs from July 16 to August 31.