Welcome reception
Opening
Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament. View speech (Video)|Download speech (DE)
Introduction
Loucas Louca, Minister of Justice and Public Order, Cyprus. Download speech.
Morten Kjaerum, Director, FRA. Download speech.
Keynote addresses
Navanethem Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Download speech.
Juan Fernando López Aguilar, Chair of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), European Parliament
Panel debate
Justice in recession? Current trends and challenges for access to justice
What are the key challenges that affect justice systems across the EU? Increasing poverty and unemployment, reduced public funding for justice institutions and legal aid programmes – how does this affect people’s ability to seek redress when their rights are violated? What are the costs of the economic crisis for access to justice? What institutional and policy changes have taken place because of the economic crisis?
Panellists:
Coffee break
Presentation of the FRA's EU Charter app
Keynote address
Viviane Reding, Vice-President of the European Commission, responsible for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship. Read speech.
Access to justice in austerity: new opportunities for reform?
This time of economic crisis could also be an opportunity to rethink how we can ensure access to justice for all, re-shaping existing institutional structures and looking for alternative and more cost-efficient ways to guarantee effective and independent justice. It is time to articulate vigorously the key principles of justice that cannot be ignored or rescinded, even in times of recession, showing how these could guide policy responses and institutional adjustments. Alternative dispute resolution, non-judicial redress, e-justice and other mechanisms could be promising tools for the road ahead. What are their costs and benefits? How do reforms in the justice system affect the most disadvantaged groups, such as persons with disabilities, migrants and the elderly? What are the promising practice initiatives that we could learn from?
Re-thinking access to justice in practice
Nils Muižnieks, Commissioner for Human Rights, Council of Europe. Download speech.
Access to justice in cases of discrimination in the EU: Steps to further equality
Presentation of the FRA report
Jonas Grimheden, Team Coordinator Access to Justice, FRA. Download presentation (pdf).
Working groupsInnovating justice - ideas, pathways, solutions
For more information please refer to working groups.
The road to justice: next steps and commitments
Discussion with working group chairs
Closing remarks
Maija Sakslin, Chairperson of the Management Board, FRA. View speech.