convention. That statute also governs the procedure for evidence-gathering in Israel in aid of foreign criminal investigations. As a result, even in civil matters (including Hague Evidence Convention requests), the Israeli court system usually assigns letters of request to judges in the criminal division. Due to that allocation, most Israeli decisions issued in connection with international evidence-gathering are stamped "closed doors," which essentially means that it is unlawful to publish the decision. The American Bar Association conducted a survey to receive feedback from American lawyers concerning their experience with the letter of request procedures under the Hague Evidence Convention. The ABA published the results of the survey in October 2003, and its Conclusions section begins as follows: The Hague Evidence Convention has been remarkably successful in bridging differences between the common law and civil law approaches to obtaining evidence and has significantly streamlined the procedures for compulsion of evidence from abroad. Obtaining evidence outside the convention Insofar as requests to United States courts are concerned, parties may also use the simpler discovery provision codified at 28 U.S.C. § 1782 (see Section 1782 Discovery). Between states of the European Union, the convention has largely been supplanted by Council Regulation (EC) No. 1206/2001 on Cooperation Between the Courts of the Member States in the Taking of Evidence in Civil or Commercial Matters. References External links Hague Evidence Convention at the Hague Conference website Ratifications Treaties concluded in 1970 Treaties entered into force in 1972 Hague Conference on Private International Law conventions Evidence law Treaties of Albania Treaties of Andorra Treaties of Argentina Treaties of Armenia Treaties of Australia Treaties of Barbados Treaties of Belarus Treaties of Bosnia and Herzegovina Treaties of Brazil Treaties of Bulgaria Treaties of the People's Republic of China Treaties of Colombia Treaties of Costa Rica Treaties of Croatia Treaties of Cyprus Treaties of the Czech Republic Treaties of Czechoslovakia Treaties of Denmark Treaties of Estonia Treaties of Finland Treaties of France Treaties of West Germany Treaties of Greece Treaties of Hungary Treaties of Iceland Treaties of India Treaties of Israel Treaties of Italy Treaties of Kazakhstan Treaties of Kuwait Treaties of Latvia Treaties of Liechtenstein Treaties of Lithuania Treaties of Luxembourg Treaties of Malta Treaties of Montenegro Treaties of Mexico Treaties of Morocco Treaties of Monaco Treaties of the Netherlands Treaties of Nicaragua Treaties of North Macedonia Treaties of Norway Treaties of Poland Treaties of Portugal Treaties of