Mould EIO Review

ended

Much like with the European Arrest Warrant, the implementation of the European Investigation Order (EIO) is already giving signs of friction vis-à-vis what authorities should be competent for issuing and controlling the orders and what kind of scrutiny they should exercise. MEIOR investigates the concepts and structures of judicial scrutiny in the context of the EIO to identify common minimum denominators and to address existing and potential future problems. Based on a thorough comparative legal and empirical study, it both advises policy makers and develops working tools and a training model for all legal stakeholders. MEIOR goes beyond mere operational support and knowledge sharing on the EIO, the relevant fundamental rights, and the principles of European and national law. Rather, it combines systematic research on the law and practice of judicial scrutiny of investigative measures (e.g. searches, seizures, interception of telecommunications) in EIO proceedings at both national and European level with the production of practice-oriented training materials and tools that offer a comparative view on the coordinates of the relevant forms of such scrutiny. MEIOR will identify gaps, duplications, inconsistencies, and uncertainties in the EIO mechanism and its implementation in a pilot group of four Member States (Belgium, Sweden, Poland and Italy). It will develop a “cross-professional training scheme” (for judges, prosecutors, and defence lawyers alike) focussing on structures of judicial scrutiny in EIO proceedings. It will thus respond to the demand for improved, more uniform and more inclusive training for all legal professionals, mindful that this can only be achieved where there is sufficient understanding of procedural structures in other Member States. It will lay the basis for a uniform European training platform to be expanded to all Member States, with an eye to achieving the long-term effect of bringing legal professionals across the EU closer together.