The PC-OC (Council of Europe’s Committee of Experts on the Operation of European Conventions on Co-operation in Criminal Matters) monitors the application of the Council of Europe conventions related to international co-operation in criminal matters (in particular extradition, mutual legal assistance and transfer of sentenced persons) and proposes new instruments in this field. It also produces helpful tools, such as country information, model forms, practical guidelines, etc. for practitioners who deal with these instruments. See also the PC-OC information leaflet.
The PC-OC website is a useful source of information for practitioners involved in international cooperation in criminal matters.
Within its terms of reference meant to facilitate the application of the Conventions on international cooperation in criminal matters, the PC-OC has worked in the past years on several practical tools, which also took into account the EJN’s experience, while adapting to the needs of a wider area, covering not just the 47 Member States of the Council of Europe, but also third countries, parties to the Council of Europe conventions and protocols. Among these tools, the Model Request Form for mutual legal assistance in criminal matters (MLA) and its Guidelines, elaborated by the PC-OC MOD and adopted by the PC-OC during its 69th meeting, are of high interest for the practitioners. You may find below the two documents:
The PC-OC website contains other useful information for practitioners from all States Parties to the Council of Europe conventions on international co-operation in criminal matters. The website contains:
- information on the activities of the PC-OC including its upcoming and past meetings and events;
- legal standards and useful background material for practitioners (country information, tools for implementation) ;
- relevant case law of the European Court of Human Rights (link, see below);
- archives of past activities, studies, papers and publications of interest;
useful links to other websites of interest to the activities of the PC-OC.
More about the PC-OC
Updated case law (October of 2017) of the European Court of Human rights
Overview of possible non-binding measures to improve the functioning of the Convention on the transfer of sentenced persons and its additional Protocol Including recent proposals by Parties to the Convention on a possible update of existing Recommendations
(PC-OC / Terms of reference / List of Conventions)