On 20 October 2023, the Council of Europe organised the seventh Annual Meeting of the 24/7 Points of Contact. The meeting was held at the Europol premises in The Hague, Netherlands.
Under 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 States Parties.
Over 130 participants from more than 60 countries attended the event, in person and online. Brazil and Nigeria, the newest members of the Network, introduced their institutional capabilities to their counterparts.
The participants shared examples of good practices and successful investigations supported by the Network. Discussions focused on developing capacities, legal frameworks, various operational models from different countries, request processing, promotion of the points of contact at domestic level, as well as enhancing co-operation with online providers.
The European Commission introduced the new EU Directive 2023/977 on the exchange of information between the law enforcement authorities of Member States. Representatives of EUROPOL – EC3 and the International Association of Prosecutors provided an overview of the support offered by their organisations and discussed synergies with the 24/7 Network.
The Council of Europe will continue to assist the Network through targeted capacity building activities implemented by the Cybercrime Programme Office (C-PROC).
The 24/7 Network webpage
Cybercrime Programme Office of the Council of Europe (C-PROC) webpage
