Round table for practice sharing organised in Bucharest, Romania

8 – 10 March 2022

From 8th to 10th March 2022 was organised in Bucharest, Romania, a round table with a two folded objective: sharing the best practices on the development of cross-Mediterranean curricula on international judicial cooperation in criminal matters by judicial training institutes and increasing the synergies with the Euro-Arab Judicial Training Network (EAJTN).

Over 40 directors and senior lecturers from national judicial schools (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Lebanon, Palestine, Tunisia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Romania), European judicial training – CEPOL, international training institutes – ERA, EIPA, SCJS and networks – EAJTN were present at this event organised by EuroMed Justice, the National Institute of Magistracy in Bucharest and the Belgian Judicial Training Institute.

The participants emphasised the need to better equip their criminal justice authorities to address serious and cross-border crime with the use of trainings on international judicial cooperation. While EMJ has an important training component, with 21 trainings to be delivered in 2022, it is very important that the Programme also supports SPCs judicial training institutes to advance with the developing of initial and continuous trainings for magistrates on topics related to international judicial cooperation in criminal matters. EMJ proposal to develop the curricula on this topic, endorsed by CrimEx and designed in the previous phase by Morocco, Palestine, Bulgaria and Spain, and to subsequently deliver solid, qualitative and up to date initial and continuous training by the national judicial training schools, has been agreed by the representatives.

To build sustainable cross-Mediterranean relations between judicial training institutes, an increasing role of the Euro-Arab Judicial Training Network is envisaged to engage both shores of the Mediterranean in cooperation, familiarise with international, regional and domestic legislation, standards and procedures.

The follow up of the round table will be organised at the Belgium Judicial Training Institute in September.

On the third day, the participants had the opportunity to see the benefits of a solid formation and experience in international cooperation at the headquarters of the Directorate for Investigation of Organised Crime and Terrorist Offences where they were presented several case studies involving international co-operation, including joint investigation teams.