Assita Kanko: “Better transfer of criminal proceedings between Member States makes Europe safer”

The European Parliament’s Justice Committee approved new rules on the transfer of criminal proceedings between the Member States. MEP Assita Kanko, the chief negotiator for this regulation, stresses the need for streamlined regulations for such procedures. “Criminals are becoming ever better organised, and their rogue networks have branches in various Member States. We can tackle this more efficiently with this new legislation.”

The new framework allows the Member States to transfer criminal proceedings to each other more easily. Such a transfer has so far been very complex and involves many practical problems and a chaos of bilateral agreements and unclear conditions. At the root of this complexity is a fragmented European legal framework. That will change soon.

Cross-border crime

Kanko: “The new rules provide harmonisation and thus better criminal prosecution to effectively combat cross-border crime - such as terrorism, human trafficking, cybercrime, money laundering and drug and arms trafficking. Criminals are increasingly part of organised gangs operating on the territory of various Member States.”

Efficiency

Assita Kanko defends the need for new legal instruments: “Sometimes, one Member State is better placed than another to handle a legal case. We must provide the court with the legal tools to work as efficiently as possible. That is why these new rules are so important: more efficient criminal prosecution is crucial for a safe society.”

Privacy

The new set of rules takes into account the privacy of all parties involved, determines who must provide or receive what information, who can make the request and who ultimately decides, among other things. In this way, the transfer occurs in the best circumstances and at the best time so that procedures are not unnecessarily prolonged and hamper the judicial investigation.

Don’t let it drag on

Negotiations with the Member States can now begin. Following this agreement within Parliament, as the rapporteur, Kanko will negotiate with the European Council and the Commission so that this new legislation can be finalised under the Belgian presidency. “This is far too important to let it drag on,” Kanko stresses.