The Council of Europe’s Committee on Crime Problems (CDPC) held its 88th plenary meeting from 25 to 27 November 2025 in Strasbourg under the presidency of Mr Fritz Zeder (Austria). The meeting opened with remarks by Gianluca Esposito, Director General of Human Rights and Rule of Law.
Two new CDPC sub-committees will be established: the Committee of Experts on Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (PC-FIMI) and the Committee of Experts on Combating the Smuggling of Migrants (PC-TM).
The PC-FIMI has been tasked with preparing a feasibility study on a possible Council of Europe instrument addressing foreign information manipulation and interference, examining both preventive and repressive dimensions. The study is expected to be finalised for the Committee of Ministers meeting in May 2026 in Chisinau. Work on FIMI is related to the New Democratic Pact initiative launched by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.
The PC-TM will be responsible for drafting a comprehensive Recommendation on deterring and fighting the smuggling of migrants, with a focus on international cooperation, effective legal frameworks, and the protection of victims and those assisting them. This action follows the endorsement of the CDPC’s feasibility report by the Committee of Ministers in February 2025 and builds on the Council of Europe Action Plan on Fostering International Co-operation and Investigative Strategies in Fighting the SoM (2021–2025).
CDPC delegations welcomed the forthcoming opening for signature of the Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law on 3 December 2025 and were informed of measures to promote its signature. A new Council of Europe Committee on Environment will be established, in charge of implementing the Council of Europe Strategy on Environment.
In a joint session with the Gender Equality Commission (GEC), the CDPC approved the draft Recommendation on Accountability for Technology-facilitated Violence against Women and Girls and its Explanatory Memorandum. The text, drafted by the Committee of Experts on combating technology-facilitated violence against women and girls (GEC/PC-eVIO), provides a comprehensive framework for strengthening legal, institutional and regulatory responses and for promoting prevention.
The Committee also examined and approved the draft Additional Protocol on Asset Recovery supplementing the Council of Europe Convention on laundering, search, seizure and confiscation of the proceeds from crime and on the financing of terrorism, and decided to transmit it to the Committee of Ministers for adoption. The draft text had been finalised during the sixth meeting of the Committee of Experts on Criminal Asset Recovery (PC-RAC) from 6 to 10 October 2025.
On artificial intelligence and criminal law, the CDPC noted that twenty-seven member States had responded to the questionnaire mapping national approaches. The resulting study will be examined by the CDPC-AICL Working Group at its meeting on 18 December 2025, during which remaining gaps and core legal issues will be identified and discussed.
The CDPC approved the draft revised Recommendation Rec(89)12 on education in prison and its Explanatory Memorandum, prepared by the Council for Penological Co-operation (PC-CP). It also took note of the PC-CP’s ongoing work on revising Recommendation CM/Rec(2012)12 concerning foreign prisoners, as well as on the review of the Council of Europe Probation Rules and the accompanying Explanatory Memorandum.
The CDPC and the Committee of Experts on the Operation of European Conventions on Co-operation in Criminal Matters (PC-OC) had a crucial role in the Informal Conference of Justice Ministers under the Maltese Presidency of the Committee of Ministers “Cross-border cooperation and mutual assistance: the strengthening of cooperation to counter transnational crimes”. The CDPC welcomed that seventeen member States had already signed the Third Additional Protocol to the European Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters (“Valletta Protocol”), encouraging further signatures and ratifications. Furthermore, the CDPC noted progress within including work on international co-operation regarding core international crimes and issues related to the relationship between asylum and extradition procedures, time limits for surrender, and confidentiality in mutual legal assistance proceedings.
The CDPC also reviewed ongoing work in other priority areas, including restorative justice, Child-Friendly Justice, Medicrime, Trafficking in Human Organs, Drug Trafficking, Protection of Cultural Property, and Hate Crime, emphasising the importance of continued cross-sectoral cooperation.
The CDPC expressed its sincere appreciation to Mr Fritz Zeder (Austria) for his effective leadership and excellent work over the past two years as President of the Committee. The newly elected President, Mr Lorenzo Salazar (Italy), and Vice-President, Ms Garonne Bezjak (Germany), will assume their functions in January 2026.
The next plenary meeting will be held from 9 to 11 June 2026 in Strasbourg.
The agenda and the list of decisions of the 88th meeting are available on the CDPC website here
