Madrid, 12 February 2020 – Access Info today joined the organisation The Good Lobby, and nearly 250 signatories in sending an open letter to the President of the European Court of Justice, asking for their hearings to be live streamed so that there is genuine transparency in the Court’s proceedings.
The letter to the Court President, Konen Lenaerts, draws attention to the need of restore citizens’ trust in judicial system “at a time of growing, and worrisome, populistic attacks on the judicial branch across the EU.”
The signatories denounce the lack of transparency of the Court’s hearings, which prevents European citizens from accessing relevant cases that have a direct impact on their lives.
“Live streaming of European Court hearings would be a first step in bringing the Court closer to its citizens, increasing understanding of this key pillar of European democracy,” said Helen Darbishire, Executive Director of Access Info.
“Article 47 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights sets out the basic principle that hearings must be public, but whilst anyone can attend the Court’s hearings, given that it is based in Luxembourg – a place many people have never visited – this is not meaningful. The broadcast of the sessions makes the right to public hearings a reality,” Darbishire added.
Many countries have televised court sessions. These include the UK Supreme Court, the French Constitutional Council and the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
You can download the full letter here 
For more information, please contact:
Helen Darbishire, Executive Director | Access Info Europe
helen@access-info.org +34 637 226 609
Paula Domínguez, Communications Officer | Access Info Europe
paula@access-info.org +34 913 656 558