Germany: Justice Minister Conference - Berlin pushes for swift criminal trials

Berlin is calling for swift implementation of reforms to speed up criminal trials, according to Justice Senator Felor Badenberg.

"The Code of Criminal Procedure must keep pace with the challenges of modern criminal proceedings," Badenberg told the German Press Agency. "As proceedings become ever more complex and courts reach their limits, we cannot afford to postpone necessary reforms."

At the Justice Ministers' Conference beginning in Hamburg, Badenberg will present a motion outlining points for a reform commission established by the Federal Ministry of Justice. Key proposals include simplifying trials by separating parts and moving them to written procedures. Judges should also gain the ability to effectively counter defense tactics that deliberately drag out proceedings.

"The reform commission's mandate is to make criminal proceedings more efficient and practical without questioning legal guarantees," Badenberg explained. "Ultimately, the reform must lead to faster trials and ensure the judiciary remains capable of action in the future." The senator highlighted that courts nationwide have been struggling for years with increasingly lengthy and extensive trials, often due to new criminal phenomena, vast amounts of digital evidence, and a "defense style that sometimes abuses procedural possibilities."