6 March 2024, 22:20
The Belgian presidency of the Council and European Parliament negotiators concluded a provisional deal on a proposed EU law related to the transfer of proceedings in criminal matters.
The law puts in place rules which regulate the conditions under which criminal proceedings initiated in one member state may be transferred to another member state. The law will be critical in ensuring that the best-placed country investigates or prosecutes a criminal offence and in preventing unnecessary parallel proceedings (of the same suspect) in different EU member states. The law will therefore contribute to fight cross-border crime more effectively.
Effective crime-fighting also means that countries within the EU cooperate in order for the criminal investigation to happen in the country that is best placed to serve justice. This law will be a great step forward for this to happen.
Paul Van Tigchelt, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice and the North Sea
The rules on which the Council and European Parliament agreed will also improve the respect of fundamental rights of the suspect or accused in the process of transferring criminal proceedings from one country to another.
In addition, the regulation will help prevent impunity in cases when the surrender of a person to another member state under a European Arrest Warrant is refused. Transfer of proceedings rules (to the country where the accused is present) would guarantee that the person would still face justice.
Common rules for the transfer of proceedings
In the future, the authorities of a country will decide to request the transfer of proceedings (to another member state) on the basis of a list of common criteria. These criteria include:
- the criminal offence has been committed on the territory of the member state to which the proceedings are to be transferred or most of the effects of the offence or a substantial part of the damage occurred in that member state
- one or more suspects or accused persons are nationals of or residents in that member state
- one or more suspects or accused persons are present in the member state to which the proceedings are to be transferred
- most of the evidence relevant to the investigation or the majority of the relevant witnesses are located/reside in that member state
- that there are ongoing criminal proceedings in respect of the same or other facts against the suspect or accused person in the member state which would become responsible for the proceedings
The country that has been asked to accept the transfer of proceedings must inform the country that wishes to transfer these proceedings about its decision – whether to accept or refuse the transfer – no later than 60 days after it has received the request. This time limit may be extended by a maximum of 30 days.
A country should refuse the transfer of proceedings if under its law it is not possible to bring or pursue criminal proceedings in relations to the facts underlying the request for the transfer. This would for instance be the case if the conduct in connection with which the request was made does not constitute a criminal offence under the law of the requested state.
Rights of the victim and accused or suspect
The regulation also comes with obligations with respect to the rights for the suspects and accused persons as well as victims when deciding on a transfer.
The country in which the criminal investigation is taking place and which wishes to transfer the proceedings to another country must for instance give due consideration to the legitimate interests of the suspect or accused person as well as the victim. The new law also foresees an obligation that the accused or suspect and the victim must be informed about the intention to transfer proceedings and should be given the opportunity to provide an opinion about this transfer. They are furthermore informed during other relevant phases of the procedure.
Right to an effective legal remedy
Suspects, accused persons and victims will have the right to an effective legal remedy against the decision of a country to accept the transfer of criminal proceedings. They will be able to exercise this right in the country to which the criminal proceedings are transferred.
There will be a time limit for seeking legal remedy of no longer than 15 days from the date of receipt of the decision to accept the transfer of criminal proceedings. The final decision on the legal remedy must be taken without undue delay and, where possible, within 60 days.
Next steps
The provisional agreement will now be submitted to the member states’ representatives within the Council (Coreper) and to the Parliament’s justice committee for endorsement. If approved and following revision by lawyer-linguists, the text will then need to be formally adopted by both institutions, before it can be published in the EU’s Official Journal and enter into force. The regulation will start to apply two years after its entry into force.
Background
With the expansion of cross-border crime, criminal justice in the EU has increasingly been confronted with situations where several member states have jurisdiction to prosecute the same case. This is particularly true for crimes committed by organised criminal groups. Rules on the transfer of criminal proceedings help clarify which member state would be best placed to conduct a criminal proceeding. They also are instrumental to respect the fundamental rights of the accused.
There is currently no specific EU instrument regulating the transfer of proceedings. Instead, member states must rely on the 1959 European Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters.
Assita Kanko (ECR/BE) was the European Parliament’s rapporteurs on this file.
Source – EU Council
EU Parliament on clearer rules for transferring criminal proceedings
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Currently, arrangements for transferring procedures are fragmented
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Consistent rules important to avoid impunity, combat organised crime
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Rules for establishing jurisdiction, including where a European Arrest Warrant has been refused
Parliament and Council negotiators have reached an agreement on establishing clear EU rules for the transfer of criminal proceedings in cross-border cases.
To replace the current, varied measures for transferring criminal procedures between EU member states, the proposal would create a coherent legal framework for such cases. This would speed up investigations, particularly into serious organised crime, which often crosses borders. The aim is to make the administration of justice more efficient, with no interference from conflicting procedural rules or a lack of coordination between EU countries.
The new proposal would also reduce the amount of parallel proceedings in several countries and ensure that no one is convicted of the same offense twice. It will also establish jurisdiction for the requested state to prosecute the crimes in question, when they are best placed to do so. Jurisdiction can thus be established in cases where the requested state has refused a European Arrest Warrant, ensuring that no crime goes unpunished.
Clear rules on jurisdiction, procedures and the rights of suspects and victims
The law allows judges, courts of other authorities in one member state (“the requesting authority”) to request a transfer to their counterpart in another member state (“the requested authority”) in certain cases, for example when the crime was committed in the target country, committed by residents or nationals of that country, the evidence is mainly found in that country, or damages have mainly occurred there. Suspects, accused persons and victims can also propose that an authority start the transfer of a procedure.
Transferring proceedings to another country, for example one where a suspect or victim is a resident, can support the gathering of evidence and ensure that suspects and witnesses can be heard in trials. The requested authority can refuse a request in certain cases, including when the act in question is not a criminal offence in the requested state.
The law also includes safeguards for the rights of suspects and accused persons, including the right to be informed of the transfer beforehand in a language they understand and voice their opinion. Also, they have the right to legal remedies against transfer decisions. Similarly, the victims have a right to be informed of a transfer and can voice their opinion, which will also be taken into account when considering the transfer decision. During negotiations, MEPs clarified the rules on informing suspects and victims of decisions, in line with EU legislation on victims’ rights. They also ensured that suspects, accused persons and victims have access to effective legal remedies with a suspensive effect.
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After the vote, rapporteur Assita Kanko (ECR, Belgium) said:
“Better justice builds safer countries and homes for our citizens. This legislation is a crucial step towards better judicial cooperation and faster law enforcement. This is particularly important when investigating cross border organised crime such as terrorism, human, drugs and firearm trafficking, migrant smuggling, cybercrime or money laundering. Victims wait too long. We are now ensuring that justice in EU-countries works better and faster and that our citizens are protected and respected.”
Next steps
The provisional agreement still needs to be formally adopted by both Parliament and Council before it can enter into law. It will enter into force twenty days after its publication in the EU’s Official Journal, and be applied two years later.
EVP/CDU-Statement zur Trilog-Einigung über die grenzübergreifende Übertragung von Strafsachen
Heute Abend haben Unterhändler von Europaparlament und Mitgliedstaaten eine politische Einigung zur Verordnung über die Übertragung von Strafsachen erzielt. Dazu erklärt Karolin Braunsberger-Reinhold (CDU), Berichterstatterin der EVP-Fraktion für das Dossier:
„Drogenhandel und Betrug machen nicht an Landesgrenzen halt. Im Gegenteil, organisierte Verbrecherbanden sind in ganz Europa aktiv. 2019 belief sich der daraus entstandene Schaden auf 139 Milliarden Euro oder ein Prozent des Bruttoinlandsproduktes der EU. Das heutige Ergebnis ist ein Signal für die verbesserte justizielle Zusammenarbeit in der Europäischen Union und eine klare Ansage gegen grenzübergreifende Kriminalität. Mit der neuen Verordnung füllen wir eine große Lücke, die lange Zeit bestand.
Unsere Strafverfolgungsbehörden geben ihr Bestes, um dieser wachsenden Bedrohung Herr zu werden. Allerdings ist die Justiz am Limit. Im Jahr 2022 gab es 850.000 offene Verfahren in Deutschland, außerdem einen Zuwachs von unerledigten Fällen um 28 Prozent im Vergleich zu 2021. Mit der neuen Verordnung beseitigen wir bestehende Hürden für die EU-weite justizielle Zusammenarbeit und schaffen einen einheitlichen Rahmen für den Austausch von Strafverfahren. In der Vergangenheit gab es hier einen Flickenteppich an Regeln, der ärgerlicherweise für viel Verwirrung und Verzögerungen gesorgt hat. Ich habe mich von Anfang an für einen schlanken Prozess und klare Regeln eingesetzt. Ambitionierte, aber realistische Fristen für die Behörden sollen einen Anreiz zur raschen Bearbeitung setzen. Außerdem sollte auch Eurojust bei Bedarf frühzeitig eingebunden werden.
Ich freue mich, dass vor allem auch die Mitgliedsstaaten diese Linie unterstützt haben. Gemeinsam konnten wir die linke Seite des Hauses in ihre Schranken weisen. Unverhältnismäßige Mitbestimmung, beispielsweise von Verdächtigen und Angeklagten hätten das Instrument in der Praxis komplett unbrauchbar gemacht. Ich bin überzeugt, dass wir durch mehr Effizienz und Eindeutigkeit jetzt schnellere und effizientere grenzübergreifende Strafverfahren in der EU herbeiführen können.“
Hintergrund:
Die mehrfache Verfolgung ein und desselben Falles stellt nicht nur eine Herausforderung für die Koordinierung und Wirksamkeit der Strafverfolgung dar, sondern kann auch zu erheblicher Doppelarbeit führen. Durch wiederholte Verfahren werden vor allem die Rechte und Interessen beteiligter Personen, z. B. in Bezug auf die Freizügigkeit, zunehmend eingeschränkt.
Mit der Zunahme der grenzüberschreitenden Kriminalität sieht sich die Strafjustiz in der EU immer häufiger mit Situationen konfrontiert, in denen mehrere Mitgliedstaaten für die Verfolgung ein und desselben Falls zuständig sind. Dies gilt insbesondere für Straftaten durch organisierte Kriminalität z. B. Drogenhandel, Schleuserkriminalität oder Geldwäsche.
Ziel der Verordnung ist es, ein einheitliches Verfahren für die Übertragung von Strafverfahren zwischen den EU-Mitgliedsstaaten vorzugeben, das es bis dato so nicht gab. Die Mitgliedsstaaten mussten mit einem Flickenteppich an unterschiedlichen Rechtsakten arbeiten. Dieser umständliche Prozess, gepaart mit mangelnder Kommunikation hat in der Vergangenheit oft zu Verzögerungen und Ineffizienz von grenzübergreifenden Strafprozessen geführt.
Quelle – CDU (via E-Mail)