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MINISTERS’ DEPUTIES |
CM Documents |
CM(2026)16 |
19 January 2026[1] |
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1551st meeting, 25 February 2026 10 Legal questions
10.3 Consultative Council of European Prosecutors (CCPE) a. Abridged report of the 20thplenary meeting (Strasbourg, 16-17 October 2025) Item to be considered by the GR-J at its meeting on 12 February 2026 |
Opening of the meeting and adoption of the agenda
The Consultative Council of European Prosecutors (CCPE) held its 20thplenary meeting in Strasbourg on 16‑17 October 2025, with Antonio Vercher Noguera (Spain) in the Chair.
The agenda of the meeting is contained in the Appendix. The list of participants is available on the CCPE’s webpage.
List of items for decision by the Committee of Ministers
The CCPE invited the Committee of Ministers:
a. to take note of Opinion No. 20 (2025) on diversity and inclusivity within the prosecution services (see document CM(2026)16-add), which will be forwarded to the competent authorities in the member States while encouraging its translation into appropriate languages if need be, and to the relevant bodies of the Council of Europe, so that they can take account of it in their own work;
b. to take note of this report as a whole.
List of items for information of the Committee of Ministers
The CCPE
- adopted Opinion No. 20 (2025) on diversity and inclusivity within the prosecution services, subject to possible editorial amendments by its Bureau, which was entrusted with making any such amendments, if needed, and also ensuring consistency between the English and French versions;
- decided to submit it to the Committee of Ministers to take note of it and to invite member States to ensure its dissemination as widely as possible among decision-makers and professionals of justice, including its translation where needed;
- adopted the thematic study on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the work of prosecution services (see document CCPE(2025)6), subject to possible editorial amendments and country specific additions by the Secretariat, which was entrusted with making any such amendments, if needed, and also ensuring consistency between the English and French versions;
- welcomed the 2025 Report of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe entitled “Towards a New Democratic Pact for Europe” which quoted the CCPE’s Opinion No. 19 (2024) on managing prosecution services to ensure their independence and impartiality, as regards minimising the role of the executive in the appointment or election of prosecutors general or ensuring that it is accompanied by strong safeguards. The same Report also mentioned the CCPE’s Opinion No. 17 (2022) on the role of prosecutors in the protection of the environment, as well as the CCPE’s 2024 thematic study on management practices of prosecution services in member States in connection with prosecutorial independence and impartiality;
- welcomed the continued close co-operation between the CCPE and other bodies and institutions of the Council of Europe, and in particular with the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) and the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission);
- took note in this respect of the adoption by the CEPEJ at its plenary meeting in December 2024 of the Time Management Checklist for the public prosecution services in order to provide prosecutors with a management tool to help them take appropriate measures to prevent delays in criminal proceedings;
- welcomed the continued use of the CEPEJ and Venice Commission’s standards in the CCPE Opinions and other documents, and also the use by the CEPEJ and the Venice Commission of CCPE standards and recommendations; also noted the continued references to CCPE Opinions by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in its judgments;
- took note of the information provided by the Secretariat regarding:
• the Council of Europe Strategy on the Environment (2025-2030) and the related Action Plan, as well as the new Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law, adopted at the 134th Session of the Committee of Ministers in Luxembourg on 14 May 2025, which underline the importance of the pioneering and continuous work of the CCPE in strengthening co-operation among prosecution services in environmental matters, as reflected in CCPE Opinion No. 17 (2022) on the role of prosecutors in the protection of the environment;
• the new Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 12 March 2025, and noted its significance as the first instrument of its kind aimed at safeguarding the legal profession as an essential component of the good functioning of justice systems, which has already gathered 19 signatures, expected to reach 21 signatures in the coming week;
- welcomed the proposal of the Secretariat to prepare a side-event, to be held following the CCPE plenary meeting in 2026, to showcase CCPE Opinion No. 17 (2022) on the role of prosecutors in the protection of the environment and respond to the expectations of the aforementioned Action Plan related to the Council of Europe Strategy on the Environment;
- took note of the information provided by Mr Antonio Vercher Noguera (Spain), President of the CCPE, on the CCPE activities in 2025 and his participation in various events contributing to higher awareness of the standards developed by the CCPE;
- also took note of the information provided by the CCPE members about their efforts to disseminate the CCPE Opinions and standards and promote their implementation at international and national levels, as well as of the information as regards various high-level events in member States concerning prosecutorial independence and impartiality, including the Fourth Forum of Balkan Prosecutors General, hosted in Sofia on 5-7 October 2025, underscoring the importance of cross-border judicial co-operation in preventing and tackling complex crimes, and reaffirming the participants’ commitment to strengthening international co‑operation and collaboration among prosecution services;
- took note of the information provided by the CCPE members regarding reforms undertaken in their respective prosecution and justice systems, as well as in the field of criminal law and criminal procedure; welcomed the increasing use of CCPE standards in this context; in particular, took note of the concerns expressed by several members about ongoing challenges facing some prosecution services, including institutional or statutory reforms, reconfiguration of pension schemes, budgetary constraints affecting technical and human resources, attempts to politicise prosecutorial appointments and case allocation, vetting and integrity procedures, and issues related to transparency; also, took note of the positive developments reported at the domestic level, initiatives addressing mental health within prosecutorial services which is a topic of growing importance, as well as the introduction of flexible working measures to promote work-life balance, enhanced working conditions, strengthened efforts to combat corruption and financial crime, steps taken to reinforce prosecutorial independence and the important role of prosecutors in criminal investigations;
- took note of the information provided by the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP), which is one of the CCPE observers, including as regards the 30th Annual Conference and General Meeting, held in Singapore from 7 to 10 September 2025, which focused on the capacity of prosecutors to address evolving criminal trends, adapt to emerging challenges, and integrate new forensic technologies and scientific developments. Discussions also addressed the use of technology in the commission and prosecution of crimes, legal education and training, mental wellness and resilience, international co-operation and asset recovery, corruption and organised crime, and joint efforts to counter cyber offences;
- reiterated that it remains at the disposal of the Committee of Ministers and other bodies of the Council of Europe (particularly the Secretary General and the Parliamentary Assembly) and of the CCPE members and observers to prepare opinions and other texts concerning the specific situation of prosecutors in member States;
- entrusted, in this regard, the Bureau of the CCPE to prepare, adopt and publish such opinions and other texts concerning the specific situation of prosecutors in member States;
- confirmed its intention to proceed in 2026 with the preparation of the Opinion No. 21 (2026) on enabling an effective and independent prosecution service by providing efficient support and safeguards for prosecutors, and instructed its Bureau and the Working Group of 2026 to prepare a draft Opinion on this topic for adoption at its 21st plenary meeting in 2026;
- appointed Yeghiazar Avagyan (Armenia), Maija Hedvall (Latvia), Amiran Guluashvili (Georgia), Nanouk Lemmers (The Netherlands), Nicola Lettieri (Italy), Barna Miskolczi (Hungary), Paul Murray (Sweden), Horatiu Razvan Radu (Romania), Jens Rommel (Germany) as members, and Brendan Hewer (Malta), Francisco Jiménez-Villarejo (Spain), Michael Leitner (Austria) as substitute members of the Working Group responsible for preparing the 2026 draft Opinion to be submitted to the 21st plenary meeting of the CCPE;
- elected Raymond Briscoe (Ireland) as President for 2026; Despina Kyprianou (Cyprus) as Vice-President for 2026, and warmly thanked Antonio Vercher Noguera (Spain) for his outstanding contribution to the work of the CCPE in 2025, as well as during his long membership in the CCPE, took note of his retirement from the prosecution service due to reaching the age limit and wished him all the best;
- designated Jana Zezulova (Czechia) as Gender Equality Rapporteur for 2026;
- expressed its satisfaction with the manner in which its activities were implemented in a timely manner in 2025, thanked all members and observers for their constant and active involvement in the CCPE’s work as well as the Secretariat for its strong support in assisting the CPPE in fulfilling its mandate;
- decided to hold its 21st plenary meeting on 15-16 October 2026;
- decided to hold the 38th and 39th meetings of the Working Group on 19-20 February 2026 and 28‑29 May 2026, respectively.
Resource implications
The financing of the activities described in this report is assured.
Evaluation of completed activities
The Committee expressed its satisfaction with the adoption of Opinion No. 20 (2025) on diversity and inclusivity within the prosecution services on 17 October 2025.
Any changes to the composition of the Committee Bureau
The CCPE elected Raymond Briscoe (Ireland) as President and Despina Kyprianou (Cyprus) as Vice-President for 2026.
Appendix
Agenda
1. Opening of the meeting
2. Adoption of the agenda and order of business
3. Information by the President and the Secretariat
4. Exchange of views on topical developments in member States in the area of prosecution reforms and independence of prosecution (main task i) & Information from the Council of Europe bodies and committees and observer organisations
• Tour de Table on topical developments in member States in the area of prosecution reforms and independence of prosecution and other relevant events
5. Draft Opinion No. 20 (2025) on diversity and inclusivity within prosecution services (specific task i)
• Examination, with a view to its adoption, of draft Opinion No. 20 (2025)
6. Exchange of views on the CCPE’s activities in 2025 as well as future priorities and focus areas (main task ii)
7. Elections (Bureau) and appointments (Rapporteurs)
7.1 Election of the President and of the Vice-President
7.2 Election of the members of the Bureau
7.3 CCPE Working Group for 2026
7.4 Appointment of a CCPE Gender Equality Rapporteur
8. Any other business
9. Date and place of the meetings in 2026
10. Approval of the draft meeting report