EU/USA agreement on the judicial cooperation in criminal matters and extradition

Agreement between the European Union and the United States of America in the area of mutual legal assistance.

CONTENT: The Agreement seeks to enhance cooperation between the Union’s Member States and the US with the purpose of combating crime more effectively and thus to give their respective democratic societies and their common values greater protection.

The agreement improves co-operation in the area of investigations into financial elements of serious crime, including organised crime, terrorism and financial crime.

Those Member States that at present do not have a mutual legal assistance treaty with the USA, may refer to their public law and order (security, sovereignty, or other essential interests of the requested State) in order to refuse to communicate information in certain cases.

The agreement contains extensive provisions in relation to data protection and the provision of evidence and information.

The draft Agreement contains provisions enabling the use of joint investigative teams and the possibilities of videoconferencing between Member States and the United States. These provisions enable the Member States to use these possibilities, but do not oblige to use them.