This seminar provides an overview on the current state of judicial cooperation in criminal matters in the European Union.

It will focus on the process of gradual transition from the classical mutual legal assistance regime (MLA) towards the mutual recognition instruments (MR) and the recent developments in the legislation and judicial practice, regarding cross-border gathering, transmission and admissibility of evidence. Specific sessions will be dedicated to the European Arrest Warrant, European Evidence Warrant, Assets recovery, and ECRIS.

The role of the Court of Justice of the European Union as well as the role of the EU judicial bodies, agencies and networks (EUROPOL, EUROJUST, EJN, OLAF, FRONTEX, SIRENE, ARO) in supporting cooperation in criminal matters and how they interact with other regional and national judicial structures are also presented and discussed.

The seminar aims at a comparative approach to the jurisdictional system that both the EU and EU Member States have put in place for the judicial enforcement of EU criminal law. Participants will be shown that this enforcement corresponds to two complementary systems: 

• the European Courts, EU judicial agencies, EU minimum procedural standards; and 
• the national Courts, prosecution, legislation regulating judicial cooperation.

Additionally, the seminar will provide participants with information on the latest EU policy developments in this area.