Armenia and EU to speed up data exchange on serious crimes

The goal of the agreement is to strengthen cooperation between the authorized bodies of Armenia and EU countries, Deputy Minister of Justice said.

YEREVAN, September 9 - Sputnik. Armenia and the EU will speed up the exchange of data on serious crimes. The relevant draft agreement has been submitted for ratification by the Armenian parliament.

On April 5 in Brussels, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan signed an agreement “On cooperation between the competent authorities of the Republic of Armenia and the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust) in the field of legal cooperation on criminal proceedings”.

“The purpose of the agreement is to strengthen cooperation between the competent authorities of the EU countries and Armenia, creating an opportunity for prompt exchange of data, including personal data, on serious crimes. In particular, in the framework of criminal proceedings on organized crime and terrorism,” Deputy Head of the Armenian Justice Ministry Karen Karapetyan said in Parliament.

The agreement envisages the creation of direct communication between law enforcement agencies through mutual appointment and secondment of contact persons.

The document is expected to significantly improve the quality of cooperation.

Karapetyan added that the Armenian Prosecutor's Office and the Ministry of Justice have already started informal cooperation with Eurojust after the start of negotiations on the agreement in 2021, and within the framework of 65 cases Armenian bodies have already felt its effectiveness.

“Eurojust is a pan-European structure that coordinates the functions assigned to the prosecutor's offices of the EU Member States and promotes cooperation between the prosecutor's offices of the Member States. Along with many other functions, it exchanges collected data between the competent authorities of both EU Member States and third countries.

Reprinted from https://am.sputniknews.ru/