CCPE-GT(2019)1

Strasbourg, 29 April 2019

WORKING GROUP OF THE

CONSULTATIVE COUNCIL OF EUROPEAN PROSECUTORS

(CCPE-GT)

Report of the 24th meeting

Paris, 5 – 6 February 2019

Document prepared by the Secretariat 

Directorate General I - Human Rights and Rule of Law

I.          INTRODUCTION

  1. The Working Group of the Consultative Council of European Prosecutors (CCPE-GT) held its 24th meeting in Paris on 5-6 February 2019. The meeting was chaired by Mr José Manuel SANTOS PAIS (Portugal), President of the CCPE.

  1. The agenda and the list of participants are in Appendices I and II respectively.

II.         COMMUNICATION BY THE PRESIDENT AND MEMBERS OF THE BUREAU AND WORKING GROUP OF THE CCPE

3.            The President informed that he was invited by the Secretary General to the annual meeting of the heads of all advisory and monitoring bodies of the Council of Europe (4 February 2019). The President highlighted the role of the CCPE as a prosecutorial arm of the Council of Europe, developing norms and standards for the prosecutorial profession. He also referred in particular to the CCPE Opinion No. 13(2018) just adopted on independence, accountability and ethics of prosecutors, as well as to the future Opinion No. 14(2019) on the role of the prosecutor in fighting corruption and economic and financial crime. The President also suggested reinforcing further the co-operation between the CCPE and other bodies of the Council of Europe.

III.        PREPARATION OF THE OPINION NO. 14 ON THE ROLE OF THE PROSECUTOR IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION AND ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CRIME  

  1. The Working Group examined the draft structure of the Opinion (document CCPE-GT(2019)1Prov1), prepared by Dr Rainer HORNUNG[1], CCPE Expert.

  1. The following general aspects were discussed:

i)       the title of the Opinion No. 14;

ii)      how to provide an overall perspective of what the Opinion No. 14 addresses and why;

iii)     to give clear definitions of corruption and economic and financial crime;

iv)    whether to mention, in a separate sub-chapter, preventing corruption among prosecutors;

v)     to recall in the Opinion No. 14 the standards established in the previous CCPE Opinions and, in particular, in the Opinion No. 13 on independence, accountability and ethics of prosecutors;

vi)    to add a heading on prosecutors’ tools and instruments;

vii)   to emphasise the importance of international co-operation and to highlight international experience as regards the fight against corruption and economic and financial crime.

  1. After a discussion on each paragraph of the draft structure, the Working Group entrusted Dr HORNUNG with the task of preparing the first draft of the Opinion to be sent to the Secretariat by mid-May 2019.

IV.        OTHER ITEMS

  1. The next meeting of the Working Group will take place in Paris on 6-7 June 2019.

APPENDIX I

AGENDA / ORDRE DU JOUR

1.    Opening of the meeting / Ouverture de la réunion

2.    Adoption of the agenda / Adoption de l’ordre du jour

3.    Communication by the President, members of the CCPE and the Secretariat / Communication du Président, des membres du CCPE et du Secrétariat

4.    Preparation of the draft Opinion No. 14 on “the role of the prosecutor in the fight against corruption and economic and financial crime” / Préparation du projet d’Avis No. 14 sur « le rôle du procureur dans la lutte contre la corruption et la criminalité économique et financière »

5.    Any other business / Divers

APPENDIX II

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

MEMBERS OF CCPE-GT / MEMBRES DU CCPE-GT

Mr Erkin ALIKHANOV, Director of the International Relations Department, Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan, Baku, AZERBAIJAN / AZERBAÏDJAN

Ms Milica ANDJELIĆ-MANDIĆ, State Prosecutor, Basic State Prosecutor’s Office, Podgorica, MONTENEGRO

Mr Peter McCORMICK, Prosecutor, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Dublin, IRELAND / IRLANDE

Mr Davit MELKONYAN, Deputy Prosecutor General, Prosecutor General’s Office of Armenia, Yerevan, ARMENIA / ARMENIE

Mr Han J. MORAAL LL.M.MPA Chief Public Prosecutor, Eurojust, The Hague, THE NETHERLANDS / PAYS BAS

(apologised/excusé)

Mr Antonio MURA, Prosecutor General at the Court of Appeal of Venice, Venice, ITALY / ITALIE

(apologised/excusé)

Mr Ali Rıza ÜLKER, Judge, Council of Judges and Prosecutors of Turkey (CJP), Ankara, TURKEY / TURQUIE

Mr Cédric VISART de BOCARME, Directeur du service d’appui commun auprès du Collège des procureurs généraux et du Collège du ministère public, Bruxelles, BELGIUM / BELGIQUE

Mr Vladimir P. ZIMIN, Senior Assistant to the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation on special tasks, Office of the Prosecutor General, Moscow, THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION / FEDERATION DE RUSSIE

OTHER PARTICIPANTS / AUTRES PARTICIPANTS

Ms Emine Burcu SİNOPLU, Judge, Council of Judges and Prosecutors of Turkey (CJP), Ankara, TURKEY / TURQUIE

SCIENTIFIC EXPERT / EXPERT SCIENTIFIQUE

Dr Rainer HORNUNG-JOST, Deputy Chief Prosecutor, Lörrach Prosecution Office, Former Director of the German Judicial Academy, Lörrach, GERMANY / ALLEMAGNE

MEMBERS OF CCPE-BU / MEMBRES DU CCPE-BU

Mr José Manuel SANTOS PAIS, Procureur-Général Adjoint à la Cour Constitutionnelle du Portugal, Tribunal Constitucional, Lisbonne, PORTUGAL - (President of CCPE / Président du CCPE)

Mr Antonio VERCHER NOGUERA, Deputy Attorney General for environmental matters, Madrid, SPAIN / ESPAGNE - (Vice-President of CCPE / Vice-Président du CCPE)

Mr Robert GELLI, Procureur général près la Cour d’appel d’Aix-en Provence, Cour d'Appel d'Aix-en-Provence, Aix-en-Provence, FRANCE

Ms Alessandra GIRALDI, Deputy Chief Director, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Copenhagen, DENMARK / DANEMARK

COUNCIL OF EUROPE’S SECRETARIAT /

SECRETARIAT DU CONSEIL DE L’EUROPE

Directorate General – Human Rights and Rule of Law

Direction générale – Droits de l’Homme et Etat de Droit

Division for the Independence and Efficiency of Justice /

Division pour l’indépendance et l’efficacité de la justice

E-mail: [email protected]

Ms Muriel DECOT, Secretary of the CCPE / Secrétaire du CCPE

Tel: + 33 (0)3 90 21 44 55; E-mail: [email protected]

Mr Artashes MELIKYAN, Co-Secretary of the CCPE / Co-Secrétaire du CCPE

(Tel: + 33 (0)3 90 21, E-mail: [email protected]

Ms Despina TRAMOUNTANI, Assistant / Assistante

Tel: +33 (0)3 90 21 62 95, E-mail: [email protected]

Ms Ioana VOELKEL, Assistant / Assistante

Tel: +33 (0)3 90 21 42 94, E-mail: [email protected]

Ms Annette SATTEL, Administration and Networks / Administration et réseaux

Tel: + 33 (0)3 88 41 39 04, E-mail : [email protected]

INTERPRETERS / INTERPRETES

Mr Nicolas GUITTONNEAU

Ms Annabel FREEMAN

Mr Benoit MALMONTET


[1] Dr Rainer HORNUNG is the Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Lörrach Prosecution Office (Germany), and former Director of the German Judicial Academy.