On 1 October 2025, the Council of Europe through the Cybercrime Programme Office (C-PROC) organised the ninth Annual Meeting of the 24/7 Points of Contact (PoC) at the EUROPOL premises, in the Hague, the Netherlands. According the Article 35 of the Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention), the 24/7 Network facilitates immediate assistance for cybercrime investigations and the collection of electronic evidence, with expedited data preservation as a distinctive element made available to the members of the Network.

More than 100 participants from over 70 Parties and Observers to the Convention attended the event online and in presence and discussed about the ways for enhancing the cooperation through the Network.  The role and responsibilities of the 24/7 PoC were addressed as well as the capacity building support provided by the Secretariat of the Network in cooperation with some of its members.

The meeting offered a platform for sharing experiences and examples of successful cooperation through the Network. Furthermore, the new responsibilities for the Network to be introduced by the Second Additional Protocol were introduced and further discussed. On that note, the template for requests under Article 9 was introduced and during the meeting inputs from the participants were gathered on its practicality and future use. Participants exchanged views on the implementation, challenges, and best practices to strengthen the capacity of the Network in fulfilling the new responsibilities.

Furthermore, the meeting facilitated the presentation of partners’ mechanisms designed to support law enforcement agencies and private sectors actors: namely SIRIUS project and the EUROPOL Innovation Lab. The Lab is designed to ensure investigators and analysts have the necessary technological tools to address crime and to identify threats and trends in the rapidly transforming nature of crime.

The Council of Europe will continue to ensure the Secretariat of the Network and to assist its members or countries interested to join the Budapest Convention through targeted capacity building activities implemented by C-PROC.

Council of Europe: 24/7 Network established under the Convention on Cybercrime
Council of Europe: Cybercrime Programme Office (C-PROC)
Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention)
Council of Europe: Second Additional Protocol to the Convention on Cybercrime, on enhanced co-operation and disclosure of electronic evidence