European Journal of ePractice

Cooperation between judicial systems is a key factor for sustainable development, one of the EU's major priorities. eGovernment plans and e-Justice initiatives supported by the European Commission and national governments create a very favourable background for the adoption of ICT standards in the area of cross-border judicial cooperation, both in Member States and in pre-Accession countries.

Intensification of illegal immigration, trafficking of drugs, weapons and human beings and the advent of terrorism have made necessary a stronger judicial collaboration between European countries. This cooperation includes mutual recognition of judicial decisions, collaboration in investigation phases and approximation of national penal legislations. During investigations, an exchange of information on criminal offences and administrative infringements takes place between judges and investigators belonging to different countries. This exchange is still mainly based on paper support.

This essay presents an overview of judicial cooperation in cross-border investigations and describes how computer supported cooperative work (CSCW), coped with security technologies, can improve magistrates' activities during cross-border investigations on criminal matters.