EU, U.S. Hold Seminar on Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Cooperation January 19-20, 2006

EU, U.S. Hold Second of Two-Part Program to Increase Mutual Understanding of Each Other's Criminal Justice Systems

More than a dozen officials from U.S. investigative agencies, prosecutorial offices, and the State Department were in Europe from January 19 - 20, 2006, to explain the American criminal justice system to EU officials and Member State judicial and law enforcement personnel.

The two-day seminar, held in Brussels, focused on the building of cooperation in the field between law enforcement agencies and the intelligence community, counter-terrorism cooperation, organized crime prevention and international judicial cooperation. The relevant U.S. agencies and actors were presented as well as the legal instruments and practical tools at their disposal to prevent and fight terrorism and serious and organized crime, particularly with a view to international cooperation.

Jonathan Faull, European Commission Director-General for Justice, Freedom and Security, and Alice Fisher, Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, opened the conference.

This seminar, the second of two, stems from a decision taken during the Italian Presidency in 2003, when the U.S. and the EU agreed to launch a program to enhance the understanding by officials on both sides of the Atlantic of each other's criminal justice systems. The goal was to minimize misunderstandings while facilitating closer cooperation and contacts on critical issues in the areas of justice, freedom and security.

The first seminar, which focused on the criminal justice and border management systems of the European Union and its Member States, took place in Brussels and The Hague in April 2005. Some 50 officials from U.S. investigative agencies, prosecutorial offices, and the State Department participated in sessions led by European and Member State representatives on the building of a European criminal justice and police area (including initiatives such as the European arrest warrant and mutual recognition of judgments); data protection; visas, immigration, borders and biometrics; the use of national security and classified information; terrorism and financial crime; EU Member State criminal law, police, and intelligence systems; and the role of Europol and Eurojust.

Information on the first seminar