The HELP course on International Cooperation in Criminal Matters (ICCM) was launched on 23 and 24 April, at the Ismaili Centre in Lisbon, Portugal. For the first time, 55 judges, prosecutors, lawyers, and representatives of ministries of justice from European Union member states and the Southern Mediterranean region will take part in the course together, fostering dialogue and exchanges on cross-Mediterranean cooperation.

On the first day, participants were introduced to the most relevant case-law of European Court of Human Right’s (ECtHR) related to Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights related to international cooperation in criminal matters.  A second session looked at the international judicial cooperation in the investigation of trafficking of migrants and human beings from a Portuguese perspective. Sofia Rocha, Prosecutor in the Office of the Attorney General of Portugal on the International Cooperation in Criminal Matters, reminded participants of the importance of trust and care as critical elements of cooperation when handling human trafficking cases.

The afternoon sessions explored the cooperation between Europe and Southern Mediterranean jurisdictions in international criminal matters, bringing to light perspectives from the Southern Mediterranean and ongoing initiatives, such as the EuroMed Just programme. Experts further discussed how sharing resources and expertise can facilitate the effective implementation of legal instruments addressing common challenges, as well as taking specific examples from extradition and mutual legal assistance from the perspective of the European Criminal Bar Association.

On the second day, the three HELP tutors introduced participants to the HELP platform and the course on International Cooperation in Criminal Matters. For the next three months, the participants will go through the online course, complemented by the additional materials and resources prepared by the tutors. Furthermore, two parallel working groups took place, providing participants for the opportunity to discuss the use of digital tools in international cooperation in criminal matters as well as the main challenges in North-South cooperation.

HELP courses are primarily addressed to legal professionals (judges, prosecutors, lawyers, court staff) working in the criminal law field. They are intended, in the long term, to become an integral part of the overall learning curricula of the national training institutions and/or other competent authorities of the CoE member states and beyond. Specifically, the HELP course on International Cooperation in Criminal Matters is designed to facilitate international judicial cooperation in transnational and national crimes, enhancing the knowledge and skills of legal professionals in priority areas and covering extensively the Council of Europe and the European Union frameworks, as well as the case-law from the ECtHR and the CJEU.

This activity is organised in the framework of the Joint European Union – Council of Europe HELP in the EU IV (financed by the EU’s Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers) and the joint programme between the European Union and the Council of Europe "Protecting human rights, rule of law and democracy through shared standards in the Southern Mediterranean" (South Programme V) co-financed by the two organisations and implemented by the Council of Europe.