Respect for the Right of the Defence in the Romanian Criminal Process from the Perspective of European Union Law and Internal Criminal Procedural Law

ABSTRACT: Given that the right to a defence is guaranteed both in international documents and in European Union law, normative acts have been developed over the years concerning the European standard of protection of the right to defence, the time necessary for the preparation of the defence, the facilities necessary for the defence, the information of the accused on the right to defend himself or to be assisted by a chosen defence counsel at all stages of the criminal proceedings. In this respect, Romanian legislation has also adopted essential regulations in line with European provisions on the subject, starting with the fundamental law - the Romanian Constitution, other special laws and expressly the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure on the right to defence. KEYWORDS: right of defence, Code of Criminal Procedure, fair trial, chosen counsel, compulsory legal assistance, public defender, right to consult the file, preparation of defenc