DIGICRIM

Digital learning paths – EU criminal law

Implementation
The project is being implemented by EIPA Luxembourg – European Centre for Judges and Lawyers (ECJL) in partnership with KSSIP – Krajowa Szkola Sadownictwa I Prokuratury in Poland.

Introduction
EU criminal law has reached the point when all its major tenets namely: judicial cooperation in criminal matters, substantive criminal law and procedural guarantees in criminal procedures have been addressed with comprehensive legislative instruments supported with ample judicial practice both at the European and at the national level. EU criminal law has gradually become a complex regulatory field of the EU, the understanding of which requires a more structured approach in training activities as well.

While trainings for legal professionals tackling specific themes of EU criminal law remain important there is a parallel need to ensure the general understanding of EU criminal law in a more systematic fashion. Simply building on pre-existing knowledge of national criminal law and explaining individual EU criminal law instruments so that they fit into the overall understanding of the law to be applied to the underlying case is not sufficient anymore to appreciate the effective reach and designated features of EU criminal law.

This project therefore offers a guided learning paths to ensure a general understanding of EU criminal law, explaining EU competencies, principles, regulatory choices and instruments so that the drivers and current issues of EU criminal law are fully appreciated.

The Digital leaning path in criminal law intends to offer a guided learning experience for those legal professionals who wish to have the ‘full picture’, to benefit from a structured EU criminal law curriculum tailored made to their needs, or simply explore ideas in a systemic and comprehensive fashion and at the same time benefit from the flexibility offered by the online learning environment.

The second rationale of the Digital learning path in EU criminal law is to ensure heightened awareness of the tumbling blocks that EU criminal law faces today.
The third driver of the Digital learning path in EU criminal law is that the COVID 19 period provoked a great transformation in teaching and learning methods. Out of necessity, training, among other professional events, has been forced to be delivered online through various conference platforms, and teaching and learning methods had to be adapted to this new environment at a great pace. Radically new teaching and learning methods must be offered which allow a great degree of flexibility and reduce incremental logistics, yet ensure direct professional exchanges.

The general objectives of this learning path is

Firstly, to offer a guided learning experience for those legal professionals who wish to have a comprehensive and systematic training on EU criminal law on a module-based system, where enough time is spend on explaining the relevant instruments and the related issues so that the entire domain of EU criminal law can be mapped out in a reflected fashion.
Secondly to ensure heightened awareness that the principles of mutual recognition and mutual trust, once unquestioned tenets of EU criminal law, are under stress today in EU judicial cooperation and foster resistance by deepened understanding of EU criminal law instruments in a holistic fashion

The target audience of the project are legal practitioners having a criminal law background and working in the EU Member States’ justice system, either in the capacity of a judge, prosecutor or defence lawyer.

Legal practitioners linked to any of the project partner institutions personally participating in the training activities will directly and concretely benefit from the projects’ expected results regarding increased and substantiated knowledge, improved mutual trust and cooperation.

In addition, legal professionals linked to any of the project partner institutions, but not participating in the training activities will be benefiting from the project through the digital training materials, which will be translated into the official languages of the participating partner institutions i.e. English and Polish, made available via the EIPA’s learning management system (Moodle) and later at the partner institutors’ platforms (websites and/or intranet).

The wider audience of legal professionals not linked to any of the project partner institutions will as well benefit from the project through the digital training materials, which can will be made available to the general public at the end of the project.

Training activities details

You can register for each training activity separately by navigating to the corresponding tab below.

The project includes:

Each introductory module includes:

One (1) 15 min’ concept video
Two (2) PTT with voice-over
Two (2) PPT presentations
Two (2) recorded discussions
Two (2) case studies
One (1) assignment
One (1) quiz
One (2) entry/exit poll

E-module 1 – EU competence on criminal law, institutions, procedures, and actors, intervention logic, relevant CJEU case law

E-module 2 – European Arrest Warrant role of issuing and executing authorities, grounds of refusal

E-module 3 – European Investigation Order

E-module 4 – The so called ‘Alternative measures’ (FD Transfer of prisoners, FD European supervision Order, FD European Probation Order)

E-module 5 – Procedural guarantees instruments

Directive 2012/13/EU on the right to information in criminal proceedings
Directive 2010/64/EU on the right to interpretation and translation in criminal proceedings;
Directive 2013/48/EU on the right of access to a lawyer in criminal proceedings and in European arrest warrant proceedings, and on the right to have a third party informed upon deprivation of liberty and to communicate with third persons and with consular authorities while deprived of liberty;

Directive (EU) 2016/19 on legal aid for suspects and accused persons in criminal proceedings and for requested persons in European arrest warrant proceedings and related aspects as regards
Directive 2013/48/EU on the right of access to a lawyer – hereafter EU procedural guarantees legislation
Right to be present at trial
Directive (EU) 2016/343 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the strengthening of certain aspects of the presumption of innocence and of the right to be present at the trial in criminal proceedings;