The EU's Fundamental Rights Agency, together with the European Court of Human Rights, on the 1st of July launched the 'Handbook on European law relating to access to justice'.
The handbook is freely available online in open access format, in both English and French, with more translations in other European languages due to follow.
The purpose of this handbook is to summarise the key European legal principles on the subject of access to justice, encompassing both criminal and civil law. The publication’s editors emphasise the imperative of access to justice as an indispensable element of the rule of law, affirming its role in enabling individuals to “protect themselves against infringements of their rights, to remedy civil wrongs, to hold executive power accountable and to defend themselves in criminal proceedings”.
In covering issues such as what constitutes a fair and public hearing before an independent and impartial tribunal, legal aid and the rights to be advised, defended and represented, and the right to an effective remedy, the handbook aims to raise awareness of legal standards set by the EU and the Council of Europe, with a particular focus on case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights.
The resource also explores the subject of access to justice in particular areas including prisoners and pre-trial detainees, victims of crime, people with disabilities and more. It explores and highlights barriers to access to justice including fees, excessive formalism and length of proceedings.
The handbook has been developed by the EU Fundamental Rights Agency and the European Court of Human Rights in order to assist both legal practitioners and other individuals involved with the administration of justice, and can be accessed as a resource for legal research or as a tool for public advocacy purposes.
Click here to access a copy of the Handbook.