On 2 December 2020, the European Commission published a Communication on Digitalisation of Justice in the European Union, which outlines proposals for introducing or broadening the use of digital technology in justice systems. Fair Trials welcomes the Communication and the search for ways to make criminal justice systems more accessible. However, some of the proposed measures affect the fairness of criminal proceedings and the rights of suspects and accused persons. In this briefing paper, we outline how the following issues can be addressed:
- the impact of videoconferencing on defence rights.
- the use of artificial intelligence in criminal proceedings,
- the digitalisation of case files, and
- cross-border cooperation
