Proposals announced by the European Commission will see minimum standards across the EU for interpretation and translation services offered to people facing criminal proceedings.
The proposed legislation is designed to help people to get a fair trial anywhere in the EU, even when they cannot understand the language spoken in the case.
Viviane Reding, EU commissioner for justice, fundamental rights and citizenship, said yesterday: “Today we are taking a first important step towards a Europe where justice knows no borders.
“Nobody in the EU should ever feel that their rights and their protections are weakened simply because they are not in their home countries.”