Access to Justice and Electoral Integrity so by fostering an open and transparent system of justice. Such a system is one in which: A. Legislation, including EU legislation, is accessible and can easily be understood. B. All proceedings are dealt with by the competent jurisdictions within a reasonable time, at the lowest reasonable cost, consistent with the principles of justice. Standard time periods can be established for different categories of cases taking into account quality standards. C. Judicial decisions are clearly reasoned and made public. Publication takes into account data protection, privacy, personal security and confidentiality. D. The well-founded interests of all those involved in judicial proceedings (such as parties, victims and witnesses) are taken into account and all are treated with consideration and fairness E. The Executive and/or Legislative Powers have a duty to provide sufficient funds for the judicial system. The budget must be prepared in a transparent manner and duly implemented.”22 Article 14.1 of the ICCPR also establishes that everyone shall be entitled to a fair and public hearing. More specifically, CCPR jurisprudence requires that electoral dispute resolution bodies of States parties hold public hearings. These hearings, combined with free access to the media, are a key element to reinforce equality of all parties and to strengthen transparency during the process. Any mechanisms controlling public access to hearings and to elements supporting the arguments by parties or decisions by judges should be clear to everyone and included in the legal framework.23 15

Select target paragraph3