European Parliament passes a resolution on EU criminal law

PHOTO © European Union

In its plenary session of May 21st, 2012, the European Parliament passed an „EU approach to criminal law“ and and called for observing general principles of criminal law by taking recourse to and expressly mentioning the European Criminal Policy Initiative. This resolution is not legally binding for the Parliament and the other institutions of the European Union. Nevertheless, Members of Parliament acknowledge the peculiar role of criminal law and the need for a coherent and proportionate criminal policy that respects fundamental legal principles such as the principle of guilt, the principle of legality and the rights of the individual. They emphasize that it may not be employed for symbolic effects. Instead, the European Parliament makes clear that a criminal sanction may serve as the last resort for protecting legal interests.

Please click on the following link, to view the text of the resolution: European Parliament: An EU approach to criminal law