I. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 1
II. ECL History and sources ...................................................................................................................... 4
1. From Council of Europe to EC.......................................................................................................... 4
1.1 Council of Europe ...................................................................................................................... 4
1.2 European Union ......................................................................................................................... 8
2. From EC to EU .................................................................................................................................. 9
2.1 The impact of the European Community law on MS criminal law ............................................ 9
2.2 Impact of European Union ...................................................................................................... 14
2.3 Subject matter Area of Freedom, security and justice in Titel V TFEU ................................... 23
2.4 Incorporation EU Charter Fundamental rights ........................................................................ 23
2.5 ECJ (~ CJEU): Pivotal role in exiting (present &) near future ................................................... 23
3. Interplay EU-ECHR-law .................................................................................................................. 25
3.1 As it was in 1997: ECJ Kremzow .............................................................................................. 25
3.2 EU Accession to ECHR .............................................................................................................. 25
3.3 Not asking EU-preliminary ruling as a violation of art 6 ECHR? .............................................. 25
3.4 Caselaw can push things forward when political things get stuck .......................................... 25
4. Quid Brexit? ................................................................................................................................... 26
III. Crimes ............................................................................................................................................... 26
1. Sword-function of European law................................................................................................... 26
1.1 ECHR ........................................................................................................................................ 26
1.2 Conventions of Council of Europe ........................................................................................... 32
1.3 Union law................................................................................................................................. 32
2. Shield function ............................................................................................................................... 32
2.1 Pretty v. UK (2002): art 2 and 3 ............................................................................................... 33
2.2 Josemans case (2010) .............................................................................................................. 34
2.3 Omega Case (2004) ................................................................................................................. 34
2.4 BWIN Portugal (2009) .............................................................................................................. 35
IV. Perpetration ..................................................................................................................................... 36
V. Investigation phase ........................................................................................................................... 39
1. Competent Authorities .................................................................................................................. 39
1.1 Interpol .................................................................................................................................... 40
1.2 Trevi ......................................................................................................................................... 41
1.3 OLAF......................................................................................................................................... 42
1.4 Europol .................................................................................................................................... 42
1.5 Eurojust ................................................................................................................................... 45
1.6 European Judicial Network in criminal matters (1998) ........................................................... 47
i
, 1.7 Standing Committee on Operational Cooperation on Internal Security (COSI) ...................... 47
1.8 Future? European Public Prosecutors Office (EPPO) .............................................................. 47
2. Obligation to investigate and cooperate ....................................................................................... 49
2.1 Positive HR-obligation to investigate and cooperate .............................................................. 50
2.2 Mutual assistance .................................................................................................................... 51
3. Search actions................................................................................................................................ 59
3.1 Questioning suspects............................................................................................................... 59
3.2 Examination of witnesses (disclosure) .................................................................................... 69
3.3 House search ........................................................................................................................... 74
3.4 Wiretaps: interception of communication and other e-evidence .......................................... 75
3.5 DNA-testing ............................................................................................................................. 93
3.6 (Covert) observation................................................................................................................ 94
3.7 Infiltration (undercover agents) .............................................................................................. 96
4. Language........................................................................................................................................ 98
5. Seizure and asset freezing ............................................................................................................. 99
VI. Arrest, detention on remand and extradition................................................................................ 102
1. Arrest and detention on remand ................................................................................................ 102
2. Extradition ................................................................................................................................... 106
2.1 CoE European Convention on Extradition ............................................................................. 106
2.2 European Union ..................................................................................................................... 108
VII. Trial................................................................................................................................................ 114
1. Fair trial........................................................................................................................................ 114
1.1 Impartiality ............................................................................................................................ 114
VIII. Evidence ....................................................................................................................................... 115
1. Burden of proof ........................................................................................................................... 115
1.1 Presumption of innocence (art 6, §2) .................................................................................... 115
1.2 Directive (EU) 2016/343 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 . 116
2. Limits in using evidence............................................................................................................... 117
IX. Criminal sanctions .......................................................................................................................... 120
1. Legality principle.......................................................................................................................... 120
2. Abolition death penalty – legal framework ................................................................................. 122
3. Quality standards for criminal sanctions ..................................................................................... 122
4. Possibility of release (life sentences) .......................................................................................... 123
X. Changes in legislation: which law applies?...................................................................................... 124
1. Legality principle in criminal law ................................................................................................. 124
2. EU-conform interpretation, deficient national criminal law and legality principle .................... 124
ii
,XI. Cross-border execution of sanctions .............................................................................................. 125
XII. Obstacles to the normal course of criminal proceedings.............................................................. 126
1. Immunities ................................................................................................................................... 126
2. Ne (non) bis in idem .................................................................................................................... 127
2.1 Integration via the Schengen acquis ..................................................................................... 127
2.2 ECJ caselaw ............................................................................................................................ 127
3. Prescription (statutes of limitations) ........................................................................................... 130
XIII. Discussion: Europeanisation if the Catalan independence case .................................................. 130
iii
, boeken via VRG cursusdienst (need to
know everything → also the ones
which aren’t discussed)
exam: open book (anything you like
European criminal law you can bring but you wouldn’t need it)
I. Introduction
Criminal law but not as you know it → because it doesn’t exist at an European level
• no European Criminal Code or no European code of criminal procedure
• no European criminal courts, no judges, no juries or prisons → no prosecutors yet but they are
developed to start working in January (strange thing because there are no other instances)
• reason for this? sovereignty (do we want to give up the power to the decide to the EU-level)
o prime level to deal with criminal law is the member state (also the case in the US)
o criminal law has always been sensitive/special and that’s why we don’t like to transfer
sovereignty to other levels
▪ the intrusions in your system of criminal law can be far reaching so there has to be
some kind of trust and balances → it infringes the most fundamental rights of
people under a jurisdiction
▪ sensitive because the sates has the right to use legitimate violence (eg. force
someone to leave their house)
▪ the trust in the criminal systems differs very much in the different states but we
still trust our own system the most (maybe not because we like it but because we
know it the best) → eg. some states are very keen on keeping their jury system
• ↔ system US (also a federal system) = parallel system between the states and the federal level
(independent from each other)
o each state has its own system which may differ from each other
o but the federal system is an uniform system for the US which is independent from the
states (which has federal courts, federal police,…)
o clear distinction who has sovereignty in the different matters
• traditionally criminal law was excluded from the transfer because they wanted the instances to
deal with no daily stuff (like getting arrested) → so they started with economic stuff
But there is an “EUROPEANISATION” of criminal law and criminal justice → driving forces:
1. life has changed: internationalisation of social and economic life, increased mobility & boom in
communications (people don’t live within the strict limit of the national borders)
2. increasing incidence of European law on national law, criminal law as the strong arm of national
law (other law are in relation with it: they are usually not criminal until people stop applying them)
cannot escape it
3. the fight against economic crime (eg. avoiding the taxes on cigarettes) in general and infractions
of Union law (stealing EU money) in particular
eg. European subsidy fraud: you spend your Erasmus money from the EU in your domestic
country → your domestic country is not interested to handle this because it is not their
money, so to what extend does the EU have to handle this itself?
4. the fight against organised crime and terrorism
o since the opening of the borders & the fear for the Italian mafia
o since there is terrorism criminal has become top issue at European level (security is a major
concern)
→ evolution which has culminated in Lisbon Treaty in 2010 (criminal law became a full part of the EU)
1
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