Co-operation against crime: the conventions of the Council of Europe

The fight against today's new forms of criminality, across Europe and beyond, can only be won with the necessary tools and, in particular, highly effective international co-operation in criminal matters. For over fifty years, the Council of Europe has contributed to building a legal area based on the respect of human rights, the development of democracy and the promotion of the rule of law. It has progressively developed an important set of common legal instruments to assist states in dealing with crime. This publication gathers together the main Council of Europe conventions on such co-operation mechanisms as extradition, mutual legal assistance, the transfer of sentenced persons, and the transfer of criminal proceedings. It also includes conventions addressing specific forms of crime which have a cross-border dimension, such as cybercrime, money laundering, terrorism, trafficking in human beings, and corruption. Practitioners in the field of international co-operation in criminal matters, as well as policy makers and researchers, will find this publication a useful and up-to-date reference document.