Cyprus has signed two Council of Europe agreements. The first is the Third Additional Protocol to the European Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters and the second is the Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law.
Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Bjørn Berge, wrote on his ‘X’ account “thank you to Cyprus and Ambassador George S. Yiangou for your continued support and commitment, and for signing the Third Additional Protocol to the European Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters and the Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law”.
It is noted that the Third Additional Protocol to the European Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters aims to strengthen the capacity of member and partner states to respond effectively to crime, particularly in a context of rapid political, social and technological change. It supplements and updates the Convention adopted in 1959, as well as its first two Additional Protocols, to adapt them to contemporary challenges.
The main advances include simplification and acceleration of mutual assistance procedures, extending the range of situations in which mutual assistance may be requested and broadening the use of electronic communication channels and video conferencing; enabling the use of technical surveillance tools such as GPS trackers and telecommunications interception; and introducing time limits.
The European Committee on Crime Problems (CDPC), which is behind this initiative, had stressed the need to revise certain provisions, particularly in the light of the lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic and the increasing use of digital tools in judicial cooperation.
Meanwhile, the purpose of the Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law is to prevent and combat environmental crime, promote national and international cooperation, and establish minimum legal standards to guide States in their national legislations.
The main goal is the promotion and enhancement of the protection of the environment.