Principle of the Speed of Proceedings and Right to an Adequate Length of the Criminal Proceedings: European Context and Czech Reflection

The paper deals with the principle of the speed of proceedings and the right to an adequate length of the proceedings. In the paper presented, attention is paid at first to the legal framework at both European and national levels, approach of the European Court of Human Rights to assessment of an inadequate length of criminal proceedings, followed by the principle of the speed of criminal proceedings in the Code of Criminal Procedure – its position in the system of fundamental principles, and to selected amendments whose aim was to accelerate criminal proceedings. Great attention is paid to individual provisions of the Czech Code of Criminal Procedure which should contribute to fast and effective criminal proceedings.