The 15^th CrimEx meeting of the EuroMed Justice (EMJ) programme debated the development of practical tools for judicial cooperation with the South Partner Countries (SPCs), during a conference in Athens on 10 and 11 May. Updates were also given on the training component of the programme.

Over two days, CrimEx members from South Partner Countries and EU Member States debated cross-Mediterranean key tools for judicial cooperation, legal and gap analyses on e-evidence, personal data, joint investigations, procedural rights, asset recovery and bilateral agreements.

The EuroMed Justice practical tools for cooperation were drafted based on CrimEx requests and inputs, by 26 high-level criminal law academics and senior practitioners. These practical tools have a dual purpose: they not only provide accurate information and practical solutions useful to practitioners of justice from SPCs and EUMSs but also form the basis of training materials.

The training component of EMJ is implemented by the consortium SAFE/EPLO, consisting of Fondazione SAFE and the European Public Law Organisation (EPLO). This consortium presented the status of the implementation of the training to further enhance prosecution capacities and strengthen international judicial cooperation. Training sessions have already successfully been carried out in the first months of this year. CrimEx experts were provided with an update on the training programme and its implementation.