The HELP course on International Cooperation in Criminal Matters (updated version 2021 developed under the  EU-CoE project HELP in the EU II), which was launched on 13 September in Italy, and on 14 October in Bulgaria,  was implemented by two national tutors within the framework of the EU-CoE project HELP Radicalisation Prevention, Judicial Response to Terrorism & International Cooperation in Criminal Matters.
The course explores fundamental principles of international judicial cooperation and a range of legal frameworks and legal instruments for cooperation - applied under a general consideration for human rights issues. It covers extensively both the Council of Europe (CoE) and the European Union (EU) frameworks, along with case-law examples from the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU).
The course covers extradition, mutual legal assistance, transfer of sentenced persons, supervision of offenders, international validity of criminal judgments and transfer of proceedings, seizure and confiscation of proceeds of crime, an International Cooperation Toolbox with links to relevant information and organisations related to International Cooperation in Criminal Matters, as well as Help and Guidance on making and carrying out requests.
At the launch event in Italy (co-organised by the Scuola Superiore della Magistratura; SSM), participants received an introduction to the subject and to the course by experts Gianluca Grasso, SSM, HELP Focal Point Italy and Gianluca Forlani, Judge, JHA Counsellor, Italian Permanent Representation to EU, as well as from members of the CoE HELP Secretariat. The also had a practical session with the course tutor, Andrea Venegoni. 
Similarly, the Bulgarian Attorney’s Training Center organised the launch event for lawyers with interventions from Tomislav Toshkov, Coordinator of the Attorneys' Training Center and the HELP Secretariat, Eva Pastrana and Eva Massa. The course tutor, Dilyana Giteva explained to participants the format and content of the course, as well as the instructions to complete it.
A total of 31 Italian judges and prosecutors, and 21 lawyers successfully completed the course. They provided very positive feedback, highlighting that the course was useful and helpful for their future professional development.
Besides these national course versions that targeted selected groups, the HELP course on ICCM has been translated into 15 other languages and will be available on the HELP e-learning platform in the coming weeks, together with other HELP courses related to the project, namely: Radicalisation Prevention, Gathering and Use of Evidence in Counter-terrorism cases and Managing Foreign National Prisoners.