VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Justice ministers from 16 European nations, including the UK, Germany and Malta, have signed a landmark agreement aimed at modernising cross-border criminal cooperation and closing legal loopholes exploited by organised crime.
The Valletta Protocol, is the first major update in decades to the 1959 European Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters. It adapts Cold War-era frameworks to the realities of cybercrime, money laundering and human trafficking. Council of Europe secretary-general Alain Berset stressed urgency: “Organised crime exploits digital technology and knows no borders, no country can fight it alone. Only strong international cooperation can stop it”.
The protocol makes electronic communications the standard for mutual assistance requests, replacing slow paper-based systems. It also introduces video testimony, GPS tracking across borders, and interception of telecommunications to strengthen investigations. Maltese justice minister Jonathan Attard said digital tools were now “essential” for justice. The agreement also sets out safeguards, ensuring respect for human rights, data protection and fair trial rights. A key measure accelerates notification procedures when tracking devices cross borders, with a 96-hour window to preserve evidence while respecting sovereignty. The protocol establishes 180-day deadlines for requests, with fast-track options for urgent cases. National parliaments must ratify the deal before it takes effect.
Signatories include Belgium, Greece, Lithuania, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and others, with more countries expected to join. Officials say the reforms eliminate “safe havens” for criminals and ensure Europe’s justice systems keep pace with modern threats.
-Photo DOI-
(ITALPRESS).
