Litigating to Advance Defence Rights in Europe

ended

Defence lawyers have enormous potential to drive the use of EU law to challenge fundamental rights abuses. They operate on the front-line of the justice system, deciding which legal arguments to make and whether to apply EU law. The objective of the project is to strengthen the ability of defence lawyers to effectively engage in litigation at domestic and EU levels where rights have been violated, and use EU law to tackle abuse of fundamental rights in criminal justice systems across the EU. Work planned: - Build and train a Cohort of criminal defence lawyers in seven Target Member States to drive forward strategic litigation applying EU law; - Develop and promote tools for defence lawyers to apply EU law – applicable across the EU and tailored specifically to Target Member States; - Support Cohort in effective strategic litigation; - Promote outcomes of litigation encouraging defence lawyers across the EU to apply EU law. Achievements: - Expert free online tools for defence lawyers on practical application of EU law; - Tools for each Target Member State to support lawyers in using EU law; - Hands-on support to Cohort members on strategic litigation cases; - Training for Cohort members in each Target Member State, also including judges; - Awareness-raising activities to promote application of EU law. Results: - Sustainable Cohort established committed to on-going work; - Cohort equipped with EU law and expertise; - Cases of strategic importance litigated in Target Member States; - Cases communicated effectively to defence lawyers across EU; - Awareness raised of the relevance of EU law and of availability of practical tools. Impact: - Ability of defence lawyers to effectively engage in litigation at domestic and EU levels where rights have been violated and use EU law to tackle abuse of fundamental rights in criminal justice systems across the EU is strengthened; - Access to justice and enforcement of the rights enshrined in EU law and Charter is improved EU-wide.