The CyberSPEX project marked a significant month of activity in June 2025, reinforcing its role in supporting EU member states in the implementation of the Second Additional Protocol to the Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention).
On 2–3 June 2025, the project contributed to the Cybercrime Convention Committee (T-CY) by presenting the development of draft templates for Articles 6 to 8 of the Second Additional Protocol, marking a step forward in proposing procedural frameworks for cross-border access to electronic evidence.
Later that week, from 4 to 6 June, the CyberSPEX was instrumental in supporting the organisation of the Octopus Conference 2025. In that context, the project organised Main session 1 – E-evidence: implementing the Second Protocol to the Convention on Cybercrime. The session gathered experts, policymakers, and practitioners to discuss both national and international approaches to putting the Protocol into effective practice.
To conclude a week of high-level engagement, CyberSPEX held its second Project Steering Committee meeting on 6 June in Strasbourg, France. The meeting brought together representatives from EU member states, the European Commission, the Council of Europe, and several EU bodies including EUROPOL, EUROJUST, and the European Judicial Cybercrime Network.
The committee served as a forum for EU member states to share their progress in aligning domestic legislation with both the Second Protocol and the EU e-evidence package.
Participants showed strong appreciation for the project’s technical resources, which are designed to aid national authorities in incorporating the Second Protocol into their domestic legislation. Notably, two key documents – Guide to the Implementation of the Second Protocol to the Convention on Cybercrime in domestic law, and the Manual on the interaction between the Second Protocol and corresponding instruments of the European Union – were highlighted for their practical value. These materials are available to CyberSPEX project countries and will soon be accessible for other Parties to the Cybercrime Convention for wider use.
The Steering Committee also gave its endorsement to the project’s workplan for the upcoming six months, which outlines a range of targeted activities aimed at supporting implementation efforts. These include a focused workshop on the Second Protocol to bring together representatives from Ministries of Justice and judicial authorities, jointly organised with EUROJUST, updates to the HELP Course, and a series of regional and national consultations to address country-specific responses for the implementation of the Second Protocol. Delegates reaffirmed their strong commitment to remaining actively involved in the project’s next phase and to benefit of the upcoming project activities.
Cybercrime Convention (Budapest Convention)
Explanatory Report to the Second Additional Protocol to the Convention on Cybercrime
Cybercrime Programme Office (C-PROC)