BREAKING THE BARRIERS: rights based participatory judicial training on procedural rights

The introduction of strict procedural safeguards for suspects and accused persons in criminal proceedings is a key guarantor of their right to a fair trial and an essential part of the EU criminal justice agenda. In 2009, the EU committed itself to taking additional measures to strengthen the protection of these rights in accordance with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, the European Convention on Human Rights and the case law of the European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights. The directives on procedural rights adopted by the EU since 2006 contribute to the achievement of common minimum standards that strengthen mutual trust between the criminal justice systems of the Member States. The correct and effective implementation of the standards laid down in these directives depends to a large extent on the judges and public prosecutors of the Member States, who have to interpret and apply them in the context of national criminal proceedings.

This project enables 120 judges and prosecutors to participate in transnational training courses on procedural rights for suspects and accused persons (EU Directives 2010/64, 2012/13, 2013/48, 2016/343). The target group are primarily judges and public prosecutors, who have so far not been able to participate in transnational training courses due to language barriers. The training courses are concentrated in three EU Member States (Spain, Greece and Austria), as these countries have lower participation rates in transnational training courses in EU law than other EU countries. The training courses are specifically designed for the target groups and follow a participatory and practice oriented approach, which includes the use of interactive and experiential teaching methods.