Welcome to ERA – Academy of European Law

This series of ten decentralised seminars aims to raise awareness of and offer practical training in the use of EU instruments on mutual legal assistance and mutual recognition of judicial decisions in criminal matters.

One specific aim of the project is to train groups from selected EU Member States which are geographically close to each other and therefore connected in terms of cross-border cooperation.

The series is divided into two sets. The first set of five introductory seminars taking place in 2009 will be especially targeted at judges and prosecutors without practical experience in cross-border judicial cooperation and in applying EU mutual recognition instruments while the second set of five advanced seminars taking place in 2010 will address judges and prosecutors that have already gained such experience.

This introductory seminar is addressed at judges and prosecutors from Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, and Slovenia without practical experience in cross-border judicial cooperation and in applying EU mutual recognition instruments. The seminar will begin with an introduction to EU criminal law and to the instruments for cooperation in criminal justice. It will consider the origins, legal framework and institutional system of criminal justice cooperation in the EU. In a second step, it will aim at familiarising participants with existing and forthcoming instruments of mutual legal assistance and mutual recognition at EU level and their national implementation, notably the EU Mutual Legal Assistance Convention of 2000 and Protocol, the European Arrest Warrant and other mutual recognition instruments, including the proposed European Evidence Warrant.

In all seminars, the exchange of best practices and networking will play a central role.

Discussion and practical exercises in each group will be coordinated by national and European experts. An introductory e-learning course will be offered.