Right to a fair trial under Article 6 of the ECHR: The balance between efficiency and fairness in European criminal law

The purpose of this study was to critically assess the mechanisms that allow reaching an adequate correlation between the effectiveness of trials and their consistency with the standards of fairness set out in Article 6 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The study, using formal legal, hermeneutical, and comparative methods, analysed the differences in the implementation of fair trial principles in European countries and developed recommendations for harmonising national systems with international legal criteria. The findings of this study demonstrated the diversity of approaches to striking a balance between efficiency and fairness in court proceedings in countries such as Germany, France, Poland, Italy, and Albania. Specifically, it was found that the judicial systems of France and Poland, by giving preference to expedited consideration of cases, may negatively affect the assurance of rights of accused persons. At the same time, Germany, Italy, and Albania focus on comprehensive review of cases, which guarantees fairness but delays proceedings, which affects the overall efficiency of justice. A review of the practices of the European Court of Human Rights showed that it often focuses on remedying rights violations, but rarely includes suggestions for improving the mechanisms for ensuring balance. Based on the study of court decisions, recommendations were developed to clarify the criteria for achieving an adequate balance between efficiency and fairness in court proceedings. These recommendations included specifying the standards by which the speed of case processing is determined without compromising efficiency. The findings obtained suggest the need to improve legal mechanisms to achieve an effective balance between the speed of case consideration and fair trial, which will contribute to the improvement of justice in European jurisdictions