Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on procedural safeguards for children suspected or accused in criminal proceedings

Author (Corporate)
Series Title
Series Details (2013) 822 final (27.11.13)
Publication Date 27/11/2013
Content Type

This proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and the Council aims to set common minimum standards throughout the European Union on the rights of children who are suspected or accused in criminal proceedings and of children subject to proceedings pursuant to Framework Decision 2002/584/JHA ("European arrest warrant proceedings").

The Stockholm Programme put a strong focus on the strengthening of the rights of individuals in criminal proceedings. The European Council invited the Commission to put forward proposals setting out a step by step approach to strengthening the rights of suspects and accused persons by setting common minimum standards on fair trial rights.

This measure forms also part of the EU Agenda for the Rights of the Child to which the European Parliament, the Committee of the Regions, the Economic and Social Committee and the Council of Europe as well as key stakeholders such as UNICEF, the Ombudspersons for Children in the Member States, and civil society have contributed.

Three measures have already been adopted:
- Directive 2010/64/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the right to interpretation and translation in criminal proceedings in October 2010
- Directive 2012/13/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the right to information in criminal proceedings in May 2012
- Directive 2013/48/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2013 on the right of access to a lawyer in criminal proceedings and in European arrest warrant proceedings, and on the right to have a third party informed upon deprivation of liberty and to communicate with third persons and with consular authorities while deprived of liberty.

Measures on the right to provisional legal aid for suspects or accused persons while deprived of liberty are presented as a package with the present initiative together with a Directive on the strengthening of certain aspects of the presumption of innocence and the right to be present at trial in criminal proceedings.

Source Link Link to Main Source http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM:2013:822:FIN
Related Links
EUR-Lex: COM(2013)822: Follow the progress of this proposal through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2013:822:FIN
EUR-Lex: SWD(2013)480: Impact assessment http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=SWD:2013:480:FIN
EUR-Lex: SWD(2013)481: Executive summary of the impact assessment http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=SWD:2013:481:FIN
EUR-Lex: SWD(2013)492: Implementation plan http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=SWD:2013:492:FIN
ESO: Background information: The Right to… - a Fair Trial! Commission wants more safeguards for citizens in criminal proceedings http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-the-right-to-a-fair-trial-commission-wants-more-safeguards-for-citizens-in-criminal-proceedings/

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