Covid-19 Judicial cooperation

Please note that the documents in this section are not updated anymore and the information provided may be outdated!

[last update: 21/01/2022] Restricted access (1)

COVID-19 is still circulating, but it no longer affects judicial cooperation in criminal matters. Also judicial cooperation instruments are, in general, issued and executed as before the pandemic erupted.

The Compilation by Eurojust and by the European Judicial Network (EJN) ‘Impact of COVID-19 on Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters’, combined information on the impact of the measures taken by governments to contain the spread of COVID-19 on judicial cooperation in criminal matters in the European Union (and Iceland and Norway). The Compilation replied to a number of questions that were relevant for the understanding of the conditions for handling the European Arrest Warrant (EAW), Transfer of sentenced persons, European Investigation Order (EIO) and Mutual legal assistance etc. during the pandemic period. It was regularly updated and published as a Council document (LIMITE) from April-2020 to January 2022. 

The last updated issue of the compilation dates 21 January 2022 (Council LIMITE doc. WK 892/2022 INIT).  

Executive summary [last update: 21/01/2022] Public access

(1) The Compilation is password protected. National competent authorities may contact the EJN Secretariat for obtaining access to it.

(07/05/2020) Public access

On May 7th 2020, under the Croatian Presidency of the Council of the EU, the European Judicial Network (EJN) held the 1st EJN Videoconference meeting with discussions on how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the procedures for international judicial cooperation.

[last update: 02/12/2020] Public access

Communications from Central Authorities around the world on the health Crisis caused by COVID-19 for measures related to the application of non-EU legal instruments

(Last update 11/05/2020) Restricted access 1

The document compiled by JITs Network Secretariat and based on information received from JIT National experts, on whether concluding a JIT by accepting an electronic version of the agreement duly signed by the other party and exchanging the original versions at a later stage is possible in line with the national legislation of the Member States.

[Last update: 15/05/2020] Restricted access

Compliation of Member States replies to the following questions:
- Have the national Courts ceased to hear domestic cases due to the Covid-19 pandemic?
- Cases whereby the accused is still under preventive arrest are still being heard by the national Courts or where they put off for another date?
- Have there been any Constitutional issues regarding domestic cases not being heard due to the Covid-19 pandemic?