European public prosecutors’ offices are working together to combat cross-border crime

Joint Investigation Teams (JITs) are fundamental to judicial cooperation within the European Union in criminal matters. However, despite their value in tackling transnational crime, the uptake of JITs varies across public prosecutor’s offices, as not all have the necessary training to make the most of digital tools.

With the aim of improving the capabilities of legal professionals by increasing the use of Joint Investigation Teams (JITs) by 20% through specific training in criminal law and the effective use of the digital collaboration platform, the project ‘Strengthening the capacity of legal professionals to combat cross-border crime through cooperation and technology’ (JITForce) has been launched.

The Bucharest office of the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice (PÎCCJ) in Romania hosted the launch of the project. The project is being implemented in partnership with the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Portugal and the Spanish Public Prosecutor’s Office, with the collaboration of the FIAP facilitating the participation of the Spanish Public Prosecutor’s Office.

The project, co-funded by the European Commission through the Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers (DG JUST), will run for 20 months and have a total budget of €182,712, of which the European Union’s contribution amounts to €162,641. The project will enhance the knowledge and skills of European prosecutors in the use of joint investigation teams as an effective and reliable tool for judicial cooperation.

The project launch meeting was of a technical nature, during which the project activities were presented, followed by open discussions on the terms of reference for the selection of experts, the consortium agreement and the establishment of the steering committee.

The opening was led by Nicolae-Andrei Solomon, Deputy Prosecutor General; Flavian Popa, Chief Prosecutor and project leader; Răzvan Măties, project director; and other members of the Romanian Public Prosecutor’s Office.

In addition, the Spanish Public Prosecutor’s Office was represented by Francisco Jiménez-Villarejo, the Prosecutor for International Criminal Cooperation, and by prosecutor Marta Holgado. Other project partners also attended the event, including Joana Ferreira from the Portuguese Public Prosecutor’s Office. The representative of the EJTN (European Judicial Training Network), Mónica Martí-García, and the representatives of EUROJUST (European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation), Martina Hlustikova and Petra Sesek, participated in the event virtually.