Detention, Alternatives, Mutual Trust and Mutual Legal Assistance

ongoing

The project will debate and assess how European legislation and forms of cooperation are applied in detention in EU Member States, with a particular focus on alternatives to (pre-trial) detention, to ensure that the highest possible standards are upheld while maintaining and enhancing mutual trust and recognition. Member States’ best practices, ECtHR, and CJEU case law will be discussed and assessed. Framework Decisions 829, 947, and 909 on detention and alternatives, the EAW, and the Council of Europe's European Prison Rules will be analysed. Synergies will be created with the research and material already produced by the project partners on the topics to be discussed to present and make use of their findings within the relevant seminars and webinars as part of the training. Five 1.5-day training seminars in different EU countries (FR, PL, PT, RO, LT), addressing 50 participants each (250 participants at 5 seminars), offering interactive training and looking at different topics. Five half-day webinars, addressing 30 participants each (150 participants at 5 webinars). In total: 200 judges and prosecutors, 75 lawyers in private practice, and 125 prison and probation staff will be trained on how to enhance cross-border mutual legal assistance and recognition of decisions within the context of detention and alternatives. Digital training materials: • creation of a dedicated project webpage (a subsite of the ERA’s website) linked to training materials developed during the project; • at least 50 e-presentations based on presentations during the seminars; • at least 15 e-presentations based on presentations during the webinars. The objectives are the following: improved knowledge of application of relevant instruments: mutual recognition of judicial decisions and the relevant framework decisions in the detention and alternatives field; awareness raised relating to issues around detention, improving conditions, and finding alternatives; better understanding and enhanced knowledge of relevant ECtHR and CJEU case-law and their relevance to legal practitioners’ work within the EU legal framework; best practice and experience exchanged in matters relating to the relevant framework decisions; network created between judicial, legal practitioners, prison, and probation staff from eligible EU Member States and Candidate Countries.