What is ELRA?
The European Land Registry Association (ELRA), founded in 2004, is an international non-profit organization, gathering land registry experts across Europe. Its mission revolves around promoting mutual understanding of land registers to foster an open and secure Europe that serves and protects citizens.
ELRA’s members now are 31 organizations representing Land Registries from 27 European countries. These member organizations include government bodies responsible for land registration, such as ministries of justice, registry agencies, and national professional organizations.
What does ELRA offer?
ELRA aims to contribute to a better understanding of land registries, enhancing legal certainty and transparency in real estate transactions across Europe. Central to its offerings are the formulation of the Land Registry Principles and the establishment of the European Land Registrar’s Statute to delineate fundamental attributes of Land Registry systems and define the role and responsibilities of participating states. These initiatives aim to uphold legal integrity, protect the interests of citizens and businesses, contribute to economic growth and promote harmonized practices in land registration.
One of ELRA's key projects is IMOLA (Interoperability Model for Land Registry), which is now in its fourth edition. This project, financed by the European Union (JUST-2023-JACC-EJUSTICE-101160423), addresses the growing need for enhanced interoperability in land registry systems, particularly concerning the registration of foreign documents and judicial decisions. By establishing local equivalents for foreign legal rights, IMOLA facilitates the efficient implementation of EU Regulations on civil and commercial matters. This initiative places new demands on stakeholders such as registrars, judges, academics, solicitors, notaries, lawyers, and citizens, who must possess improved knowledge of foreign property rights, registration systems, and legislation. After defining a structure suitable for all European land registries in IMOLA I – the EUROPEAN LAND REGSITRY DOCUMEN (ELRD) - and dealing with semantic translations, defining pivot terms, building taxonomies in the next two follow-ups of the project, IMOLA IV is the next step of the project, where an enhanced ELRD and use of AI are in focus.
Another significant initiative undertaken by ELRA was the CROBECO (Cross Border e-Conveyancing) project, which was dedicated to facilitating cross-border registrations in foreign land registers.
Through collaborative efforts and a steadfast commitment to its mission, ELRA plays an important role in shaping the regulatory landscape and facilitating cross-border cooperation among European Land Registries by promoting legal certainty and transparency.
For more details, please visit the ELRA website.
ELRN – 26 NATIONAL CONTACT POINTS
The European Land Registry Network (ELRN) is a collaborative platform aimed at enhancing the practical application of Community instruments and conventions among Member States, launched by the ELRA in 2010. Currently, it comprises 26 associations from 22 European countries, each designating a registrar -an expert land registry officer-as its contact point for the Network.
ELRN aims to provide accessible tools for accessing Land Registry services at the European level, offering the public relevant and useful information about land registration within the European Union. Additionally, it seeks to enhance understanding of registration systems across different jurisdictions.
The Network serves as a crucial cooperation platform for implementing regulations such as the Regulation on Succession and other European initiatives. Moreover, it provides support to various European legal networks, including judges, bailiffs, lawyers, notaries, and other legal practitioners involved in land registry matters.
For inquiries, a Contact ELRN form is available on our website, facilitating communication with Contact Points from different countries within the network.
For more information, please visit the ELRN website.