As of 2017, the Cybercrime Programme Office of the Council of Europe (C-PROC) has been implementing the CyberSouth project on Cooperation on Cybercrime in the Southern Neighborhood Region, covering five of the Southern Neighborhood countries (Algeria, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia). Under international cooperation, which is the fourth objective of this joint action of the European Union and the Council of Europe, the project aims to support the establishment of the 24/7 contact point and enhance international cooperation capabilities of the focus countries.
In this context, the CyberSouth project is releasing a Study on the Competent authorities and the Functioning of International Cooperation. The Study incorporates the priority countries authorities' comments and is being published after their final agreement. The Study contains a brief assessment of the situation based on available information regarding international cooperation mechanisms and recommendations on strengthening their capabilities.
The main recommendation of the current Study is the importance of strengthening the international cooperation by harmonizing the legal instruments and channels with the international standards and best practices. In this view the recommendations include creating or adapting international cooperation agencies, evaluating the benefits of joining the 24/7 assistance network, and updating the mutual legal assistance practices.
The Council of Europe remains ready to support the priority countries in implementing these recommendations and in future activities under the project's five objectives.
The Study can be accessed below, on the main page of the CyberSouth project (https://www.coe.int/cybersouth), under Resources and on the Resources/reports tab.
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