Brussels, 24 April 2023
The Council has cleared a new EU law establishing a digital platform which will make it easier for prosecutors and judges – working together in joint investigation teams – to exchange information and bring criminals to justice.
Criminal activities do not stop at borders and cross-border investigations are essential to bring down crime. This digital platform will facilitate for law enforcement and judicial authorities to share information and evidence and communicate with their peers in other countries.
Gunnar Strömmer, Swedish minister for justice
Digitalisation of cross-border judicial cooperation
The platform will facilitate the daily coordination and management of joint investigation teams (JITs). It will enable the exchange and temporary storage of operational information and evidence, ensure secure communication and facilitate the traceability of evidence.
The platform will be connected to the IT tools used by the authorities participating in the JITs. Use of the platform will be strongly encouraged, but will remain voluntary.
eu-LISA, the EU agency for the operational management of large-scale IT systems in the area of freedom, security and justice, will be tasked with designing, developing and operating the platform.
Background and next steps
Joint investigation teams bring together – for a limited time period – authorities from two or more EU and possibly third countries for specific cross-border criminal investigations. Members of these teams can exchange evidence directly with one another, without the need for traditional judicial cooperation procedures.
JITs have existed since 2002, but they have been facing a number of technical difficulties related to, for instance, secure electronic exchange of information and evidence and secure electronic communication.
The new regulation will enter into force on the 20th day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. It is directly applicable in all EU countries.
The platform’s operational start date will be no later than two and a half years after the entry into force of the regulation.
Source – EU Council