EPP Group welcomes the Commission proposals on the right to a fair trial.

The EPP Group welcomes the European Commission package of proposals to further strengthen procedural safeguards for citizens in criminal proceedings. The aim of these proposals is to guarantee fair trial rights for all European citizens.

"I welcome the package proposed by the Commission as it is an important step towards consolidating the procedural rights of suspected and accused persons in criminal proceedings. The rights of children throughout the various stages of criminal proceedings are at present not sufficiently guaranteed within the EU. Therefore a legal instrument which ensures that children are better protected and can benefit from other important procedural safeguards is needed. The Directive to strengthen the presumption of innocence is important as it will consolidate the principle of "innocent until proven guilty" while the measure on legal aid will complement the recently adopted directive on the right of access to a lawyer," said Elena Oana Antonescu MEP who until recently was the European Parliament rapporteur on the Directive on the right of access to a lawyer.

"Europe-wide implementation of the presumption of innocence principle as well as far-reaching safeguards for children are important initiatives,”said the Vice-Chair of the EPP Group Manfred Weber.

“For us, protecting victims is a core responsibility. It would be unacceptable if in the end persons who had been accused of a crime were to get more financial support than victims of crime. The proposal on access to legal aid has to be considered carefully in order to find a balanced solution,”Mr Weber said.

These new proposals complement a set of three other EU laws agreed since 2010: on the right to translation and interpretation (IP/13/995), the right to information (IP/12/575), and the right to access a lawyer (IP/13/921). These proposals promote the principle of equality of arms to provide all parties with the protection of a fair trial.