51st Plenary Meeting of the European Judicial Network (EJN)
From 21 to 23 November 2018 judges and prosecutors from all EU member states, candidate countries and some partner states came together at the 51st plenary meeting of the European Judicial Network that was organised in Vienna under the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
This network was created in 1998 and aims at rendering international cooperation in criminal matters between the courts and prosecutors concerned more rapid and efficient thanks to personal contacts on a decentralised level. To this end, the EU makes use of the “human factor” as it is far easier to contact a colleague from another country once you already know each other personally and know who you can ask for non-bureaucratic support or turn to when delays occur.
Since its creation the network has been a success story and has served as a model for other regions worldwide. In the meantime, networks of judicial authorities have been created on all continents and contribute considerably to the success of international cooperation in the area of criminal law.
The plenary meeting dealt with the practical use of EU instruments for cooperation in criminal matters, for example the cross‑border execution of fines or the transfer of prisoners to their home country for the execution of their sentence. This way, the plenary was able to give feedback based on practical experience to the EU legislator.
More information about the event can be found on the event page.