Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-12-12-Speech-1-166-000"
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"en.20111212.17.1-166-000"2
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".
Mr President, Commissioner Reding, ladies and gentlemen, in the current times it is more important than ever to keep repeating that the European Union is more than just a market. It is a community of values, and it is precisely in difficult times that it must prove itself to be a strong community of values in all policy areas.
The EU and its Member States are based on the common principles of freedom, democracy and the rule of law. An indispensable element of the rule of law in the context of criminal proceedings is the presumption of innocence, supported by clear and comprehensive procedural rights for the accused persons. Following the directive on the right to interpretation and to translation, the new directive on the right to information in criminal proceedings is a further important cornerstone in ensuring that suspected and accused persons are given a fair trial across the EU.
The development of equal standards for procedural rights in criminal matters will strengthen our citizens’ trust in the judicial systems of the Member States. The mutual recognition of court decisions will also encourage this. An individual can only comprehensively exercise his procedural rights if he knows what those rights are. For a fair trial, it is crucial that people are aware of their rights and that they know what the accusation against them is. If authorities fail to observe these procedural rights, then they jeopardise the fairness of the proceedings and risk miscarriages of justice.
The existing EU legal framework in the judicial area focuses on improved cooperation between judicial authorities. In contrast, the new directive concentrates on our citizens and the rights they enjoy in criminal proceedings. It states that police officers and prosecutors must provide people who have been arrested with written information concerning their rights in simple terms in a language they can understand. In addition to the right to interpretation and translation, this includes in particular informing them of the accusation against them, of the right to legal assistance and of the right to be heard by a judge without delay following arrest. In addition, Parliament has been able to expand the specific rights of which the suspect is to be informed. We have succeeded in integrating into the directive the right of access to medical assistance, the right to communication with relatives and the right to remain silent.
No one knows in advance how long a suspected person will remain in pre-trial detention, for how long he will be deprived of his liberty. It is therefore important that he is informed of his rights at an early stage and is also given access to material evidence for and against him. The accused person must not become the object of the criminal proceedings, but rather must be able to play an active part in the proceedings. The Member States must now adopt and implement the directive as soon as possible.
Finally, I would like to offer my thanks to the services of Parliament and of the Commission – and I would particularly like to thank the shadow rapporteurs, whose perseverance and really outstanding cooperation have made this report possible.
It is now important that the Council and Commission bring the follow-up measures to this directive to a rapid conclusion jointly with the European Parliament, thereby creating uniform standards and fair trials throughout the EU."@en1
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