Negotiated criminal justice and EU directives on procedural rights

The aim of this study is to discuss the topic of plea negotiations in criminal procedures from a European perspective. The first part of the paper weighs up the advantages and disadvantages of the recent massive spread of negotiated justice in Europe and discusses the best way to reduce the risks involved with this phenomenon. The second part sets out to illustrate how the first EU Directives, adopted under Article 82 tfeu, have contributed to fairer legal institutions based on negotiations and agreements. The final part of the paper casts a glance at the future, and considers whether it would be appropriate for European institutions to adopt minimum standards on negotiated criminal justice.