His Excellency Ambassador Toma GALLI, Permanent Representative of Croatia to the Council of Europe, has deposited the instrument of ratification of the MEDICRIME Convention in the presence of Ms Marija PEJCINOVIC BURIC, Secretary General of the Council of Europe.
The MEDICRIME Convention is the first international criminal-law treaty specifically establishing the falsification of medical products and similar acts as international crimes. The Convention provides a framework for proportionate and dissuasive sanctions as well as victim protection. It clearly recognises that national and international co-operation among states is key to solving this problem in order to protect public health.
The falsification of medical products and similar crimes threaten the right to life enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. They also undermine public trust in healthcare systems and the authorities’ surveillance thereof. The Convention considers the use of the Internet to distribute counterfeit medical products to be an aggravating circumstance of the criminal acts that requires legal remedies.
Croatia is the 13th member State of the Council of Europe to have ratified the MEDICRIME Convention, which will enter into force concerning Croatia on 1st January 2020
The number of Parties to this treaty thus increases to 16. Another 15 States are signatories and 2 States have been invited to accede.
Website: www.coe.int/medicrime
The Directorates 
