Bringing together expertise from across Europe to safeguard digital rights in the justice system
The issues explored throughout this series—from digital evidence and AI-assisted investigations to cross-border judicial cooperation—cannot be addressed by a single institution or professional community. They require a multidisciplinary and transnational response. The DIGITAL RIGHTS consortium was established to bring together legal, judicial, academic and technical expertise, fostering a collaborative approach to the challenges arising from the digital transformation of criminal justice across Europe.
Against this backdrop, European judicial systems are undergoing profound change, driven by the growing use of digital technologies, electronic evidence and innovative investigative tools. Ensuring that these developments remain compatible with procedural safeguards and fair trial rights has become a key challenge for justice practitioners and policymakers alike.
In this context, the Digital rights project is supported by a strong and complementary European consortium, bringing together partners from several Member States, notably Italy, Greece, France, and Germany. It encompasses a diverse range of stakeholders, from courts and academic institutions to professional organisations and innovation experts. This transnational dimension reflects the richness of European legal systems and is a key asset in addressing common challenges at EU level.
It aims to reconcile technological progress with fundamental safeguards, by providing concrete solutions to the challenges posed by the digitalisation of the criminal justice system. By combining legal expertise, practical experience, training capacity, and technological innovation, the project partners are pooling their skills and national perspectives to strengthen the enforcement of fundamental rights. This contributes to the development of a more coherent, harmonised, and integrated European area of justice.
The project partners
Court of Appeal of Venice – Italy: Coordination and strategic management
The Venice Court of Appeal is a court of second instance within the Italian judicial system. In addition to its primary institutional functions of administering civil and criminal justice, it has recognised expertise in the management and implementation of judicial cooperation projects at European and international level.
The Court is closely integrated into the judicial training network; it is an active member of the European Judicial Training Network (EJTN) and operates as a decentralised unit of the Italian School for the Judiciary (Scuola Superiore della Magistratura). Drawing on a highly qualified team comprising magistrates, court staff and seconded judicial police officers, the institution is actively involved in areas such as legislative drafting, fundamental rights, the execution of European Arrest Warrants (EAWs), extradition procedures and prevention protocols.
Deeply embedded within the institutional framework of the justice system and working closely with the Italian Ministry of Justice, the Court combines day-to-day legal practice with transnational research activities. This is done to promote the modernisation of judicial systems, safeguard procedural rights, and foster cross-border cooperation within the European Union.
As part of the DIGITAL RIGHTS project, the Venice Court of Appeal is participating as the coordinator (lead partner) of the international consortium. It initiated and supported this project to address the urgent need to assess the effects of the ongoing digital transformation and the growing use of intrusive technological investigative tools — such as Trojan horses, GPS tracking or the acquisition of electronic evidence from vast cloud infrastructures or multi-hosted systems — on the fundamental procedural rights of suspects and defendants.
As part of the project, the Court has overall responsibility for financial management, monitoring compliance with ethical requirements, and the strategic coordination of activities (Work Package 1).
His commitment stems from a desire to:
- to reduce regulatory fragmentation between Member States regarding procedural rights,
- to legitimise the project’s actions by involving a public judicial authority,
- and to translate theoretical approaches into concrete and practical legal measures.
The aim is to strike a balance between the effectiveness of criminal proceedings in the digital age and the protection of the guarantees of a fair trial, whilst upholding the rule of law.
Useful resources: Home — Venice Court of Appeal
Agenfor International Foundation – Italy
Agenfor International is a non-profit organisation specialising in community-led security, international law, justice and human rights. With extensive experience in European cooperation projects, the foundation works closely with judicial authorities, public institutions, legal professionals, academics and civil society organisations to promote innovation, capacity building and evidence-based policy development in the fields of justice and security.
Agenfor combines research, training and operational expertise to support the development of innovative solutions within judicial systems, with a particular focus on the responsible use of emerging technologies. In recent years, the foundation has been actively involved in the design and implementation of digital tools based on artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and human-centred approaches, aimed at supporting legal professionals, improving access to knowledge, and strengthening decision-making processes. This ensures respect for fundamental rights and European legal standards.
Agenfor has joined the DIGITAL RIGHTS project because the ongoing digital transformation of criminal justice systems requires a balance to be struck between technological innovation and the effective protection of procedural rights.
The project provided an opportunity to contribute to a European debate on the impact of digital evidence, artificial intelligence and automated systems on the guarantees of a fair trial and the rights of the defence.
Drawing on its legal, scientific and technological expertise, Agenfor has helped to develop practical, evidence-based tools designed to support practitioners, decision-makers and institutions in addressing emerging challenges, whilst ensuring the protection of fundamental rights.
The DIGITAL RIGHTS project is fully in line with the foundation’s commitment to reliable, human-centred innovation, as well as to the development of AI-based solutions capable of supporting legal professionals without compromising transparency, accountability, and the rule of law.
Useful resources: Agenfor International
Unione delle Camere Penali Italiane (UCPI) – Italy
The Unione delle Camere Penali Italiane (UCPI), founded in 1982, is an association representing more than 10,000 Italian criminal lawyers. It is recognised by the Italian National Bar Council (Consiglio Nazionale Forense – CNF) as one of the most representative specialist professional associations in the field of criminal law.
The UCPI is committed to promoting awareness, protection, and the effective implementation of the fundamental principles of criminal law and fair criminal proceedings. Particular emphasis is placed on respect for the rights of the defence, the independence of the legal profession, procedural safeguards, and the rule of law.
Through its specialist observatories, training activities, legal research and institutional advocacy work, the UCPI actively contributes to the national and European debate on criminal justice reforms and the protection of fundamental rights in criminal proceedings.
The UCPI is a member of the DIGITAL RIGHTS consortium, contributing the perspective and practical expertise of criminal defence lawyers to the project. The digitalisation of the criminal justice system, combined with the increasing use of digital evidence, remote investigation tools, automated systems and the analysis of massive volumes of data, is radically transforming criminal proceedings. It has as a result impact on the effective exercise of the rights of the defence in criminal proceedings.
The UCPI’s contribution aims to ensure that the project’s research, training, and policy recommendations take full account of the practical needs of defence practitioners. Particularly regarding access to a lawyer, equality of arms, access to the case file, the confidentiality of communications between the lawyer and their client, the right to information, and effective remedies.
Its involvement thus helps to ensure that technological innovation in criminal proceedings is accompanied by adequate safeguards and remains fully consistent with the requirements of a fair trial, respect for fundamental rights and the rule of law.
Useful resources: Camere Penali official website
European Public Law Organisation (EPLO) – Greece
The European Public Law Organisation (EPLO) is an international organisation dedicated to the production and dissemination of knowledge in the fields of public law and governance. With a wealth of experience gained from over 200 educational, research and institutional strengthening projects carried out in more than 70 countries, it offers recognised expertise supporting democratic institutions.
As part of the DIGITAL RIGHTS project, EPLO is drawing on its expertise in ethics as applied to public law, criminal law and the judicial sector. It plays a key role in monitoring the quality and ethical compliance of the project, whilst overseeing legislative analysis activities. It also contributes to the creation of a network of experts, the organisation of workshops and the development of key deliverables, particularly in relation to the Greek context.
Through its involvement in training, research, and dialogue with stakeholders, EPLO plays an active role in building knowledge and harmonising practices at European level.
EPLO joined the DIGITAL RIGHTS project in response to the growing challenges posed by the digital transformation of criminal justice systems and the increasing use of electronic evidence, digital forensic technologies and Artificial Intelligence within criminal proceedings. Given its longstanding expertise in public law, human rights, criminal justice, and governance, EPLO recognised the importance of contributing to the development of a legal and policy framework capable of ensuring that technological innovation remains compatible with procedural safeguards. Fair trial guarantees and the rule of law. Through its participation in the project, EPLO seeks to support evidence-based policymaking, promote ethical and rights-compliant approaches to digital justice. It also aims to facilitate dialogue between legal practitioners, policymakers, academics, and law enforcement authorities on the future of procedural rights in an increasingly digital environment.
Useful resources: EPLO | European Public Law Organisation
HfÖV (Bremen University of Public Administration) – Germany
The Bremen University of Public Administration (HfÖV) is a German public institution dedicated to training civil servants, police officers and professionals in the judicial sector. Established in 1979, it is run by the regional authorities of the federal state of Bremen and has extensive experience in continuing professional development, organising around 200 programmes each year for nearly 3,000 participants.
With recognised expertise in criminal law, criminology, human rights and victim support, HfÖV plays a key role in building the capacity of professionals in the public sector. As part of the Digital Rights project, it contributes to legislative analysis and cooperation between experts, whilst leading the work package dedicated to training and dialogue with practitioners and decision-makers. In particular, it is responsible for organising events in Germany and developing stakeholder networking activities at European level.
Drawing on its expertise and its strong links with the public education system, HfÖV plays an active role in disseminating knowledge and improving judicial practices in the context of digital transformation.
Useful resources: Welcome to the university’s website! — University of Public Administration
European Expertise & Expert Institute (EEEI) – France
The European Expertise & Expert Institute (EEEI) is a European think tank bringing together researchers, judges, lawyers, and experts committed to the modernisation of judicial systems. By promoting the sharing of knowledge and best practices, the Institute actively contributes to the harmonisation of rules and practices relating to expert evidence within the European Union, whilst strengthening dialogue between the key players in the justice system.
Within the DIGITAL RIGHTS project, the EEEI is fully engaged, drawing on its experience in European projects and its in-depth knowledge of the French legal context. It contributes to legislative analysis, the development of expert communities and the drafting of recommendations, whilst playing a central role in communicating and disseminating the project’s results across Europe.
A truly collaborative approach
This diversity of stakeholders from various European legal systems is one of the project’s key strengths. These contributions appear to be highly complementary: some partners provide legal and institutional expertise, whilst others bring operational, technological and training skills to the table, ensuring continuity between the various stages of the project, from analysis to implementation.
This organisation promotes close cooperation between partners through joint analyses, collaborative workshops and training initiatives. It thereby contributes to the coherent and gradual implementation of activities, considering national specificities whilst aiming for a harmonised approach.
The Digital Rights project builds on this synergy between judicial institutions, academic experts, and legal practitioners to develop an integrated approach aimed at addressing the challenges posed by digital technologies in criminal matters. Particularly regarding electronic evidence and cross-border investigations.
By fostering dialogue and cross-fertilisation, the consortium helps to promote a better understanding and a more consistent application of procedural rights across all Member States.
In this context, collaborative working is a key factor in building a more effective justice system, better equipped to respond to technological developments while preserving fundamental rights. By fostering dialogue, knowledge-sharing and the exchange of best practices across jurisdictions, it also supports greater coherence within the European area of justice in the digital age.
Through research, training, comparative analysis and policy recommendations, the DIGITAL RIGHTS consortium actively contributes to this objective, promoting practical solutions that combine technological innovation with procedural fairness and the protection of fundamental rights.
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