Skip to main content
European Commission logo
enen
Aid, Development cooperation, Fundamental rights
European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR)
News article3 June 2016Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations1 min read

20 years of TAIEX: Challenges and best practice in judicial cooperation – 2-3 June 2016

More than 60 judges, prosecutors and official from Ministries of Justice met in Warsaw for the fourth seminar marking the 20th anniversary of TAIEX. Judicial cooperation in criminal matters was at the centre of discussion with specific case studies...

20160603-taiex-20y.jpg

More than 60 judges, prosecutors and official from Ministries of Justice met in Warsaw for the fourth seminar marking the 20th anniversary of TAIEX. Judicial cooperation in criminal matters was at the centre of discussion with specific case studies on Procedural rights and mutual legal recognition of judicial decisions presented in working groups.

Lawrence Meredith, Director for Neighbourhood East opened the seminar together with Dr Marcin Warchoł, the Polish Deputy Minister of Justice and Zuzanna Kierzkowska, Director of the Department of Development Cooperation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They insisted on the need to strengthen the cooperation between EU judiciary systems within the EU but also with our partners in the Enlargement and Neighbourhood regions.

Crime and terrorism know no borders and the cross-border dimension is often present in cases of organised crime. Judicial cooperation in criminal matters is essential in order to fight criminal organisations which are active in several EU and/or partner countries, to bring to justice an offender on the run in another state or to hear the testimony of a witness residing in a different country. This seminar was meant to present the best practice implemented by Member States and in particular Poland to ensure an increased and effective cooperation.

TAIEX is the European Commission’s Technical Assistance and Information Exchange instrument. Its aim is to provide candidates and potential candidates for EU membership, and the EU’s eastern and southern neighbours, with technical know-how and legislative expertise. TAIEX organises workshops, expert missions or study visits so that experts from the EU Member States’ public administrations can pass on tailor-made expertise to address short-term institutional or capacity-building needs.

For the presentations and agenda of the meeting: http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/taiex/dyn/taiex-events/library/detail_en.jsp?EventID=61765

More information on TAIEX: http://ec.europa.eu/taiex