Verbatim report of proceedings

Tuesday, 4 October 2016 - Strasbourg

Legal aid for suspects and accused persons in criminal proceedings and for requested persons in European arrest warrant proceedings (A8-0165/2015 - Dennis de Jong)

  Andrejs Mamikins (S&D), in writing. ‒ The main aim of this proposal is to set out common minimum rules governing the right to provisional legal aid for suspects or accused persons in criminal proceedings. The draft directive aims to: ensure the effectiveness of the right of access to a lawyer at an early stage in the criminal proceedings for suspects and accused persons deprived of liberty; ensure that requested persons in European arrest warrant proceedings have access to legal aid to ensure the right of access to a lawyer in both the executing and issuing Member State. The EP suggested broadening the scope of the proposal to include the right to ‘ordinary’ legal aid to suspects and individuals charged in criminal proceedings, as well as for those whose surrender is sought in the context of the execution of a European arrest warrant. I voted in favour and I think that is very important to make this protection framework not lower than existing higher standards in certain Member States and the standards in the Charter and the European Convention on Human Rights.