European justice rules

EU justice ministers are today expected to reach an agreement on draft EU rules on the presumption of innocence in criminal proceedings. Commenting ahead of the Council of justice ministers, Green justice and home affairs spokesperson Jan Philipp Albrecht said:

"We are concerned that today's mooted agreement would create a damaging precedent for criminal law in Europe. The presumption of innocence is a fundamental principle of the rule of law and a democratic justice system but obviously a majority of EU governments wants to turn this on its head. Today's expected agreement would mean that accused individuals for certain minor offenses (like traffic offenses) must provide evidence and not vice-versa, which would create a worrying precedent. The presumption of innocence is non-negotiable and the European Parliament must ensure this is upheld when it enters into negotiations with EU governments on this legislation."