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On October 9–10, the President of the Supreme Court of Lithuania, Danguolė Bublienė, and judges Eglė Zemlytė and Arūnas Budrys participated in an international conference entitled "The Right to a Fair Trial: The European Convention on Human Rights in the Dialogue between National Courts and the European Court of Human Rights." The event was organized in Riga by the Supreme Court of Latvia in cooperation with the European Court of Human Rights.

In the second session, "The Right to a Fair Trial: Transparency in the Administration of Justice and Access to Court Decisions," Court President D. Bublienė delivered a presentation on "The Publicity of Court Proceedings, Privacy, and the Media: The Art of Balancing Interests."

The principle of open justice consists of several aspects, including the right to obtain information about the case, about the decision taken by the court, access to the case file and, finally, the publicity of the court hearings themselves. Although most European countries have already established certain limits to this principle, relating, for example, to ensuring the integrity of the proceedings and the protection of confidential information, the relationship between this principle and the application of the General Data Protection Regulation, the scope of which is not clearly defined, has not yet been clarified. Although the application of the regulation, which is intended to ensure the protection of private life, does not in itself negate the right of access to case files or the need to hold court hearings behind closed doors, the uncertainty surrounding the precise scope and depth of its application in the context of court proceedings means that we are at a crossroads in terms of the relationship between the courts and the media. The higher the data protection standard imposed on the court under the GDPR, the greater the change in the understanding of the principle of open justice and the greater the challenge to the effective administration of justice, which should be the primary concern of the courts," said Court President D. Bublienė at the conference.

With this event, the Supreme Court of Latvia and the Latvian court system commemorated the 30th anniversary of the restoration of the court of cassation and the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The conference discussed historical experiences and current issues related to the right to a fair trial.

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Supreme Court of Lithuania
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