Speaking elements for Gianluca Esposito’s closing remarks

• Congratulate the States having signed the Third Additional Protocol to the Council of Europe Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters - the Valletta Protocol.
• Warmly thank the Maltese Presidency for hosting the Conference and their hospitality. Thank Ministers and Heads of Delegations for their engagement, underlining the importance of cross-border cooperation in confronting organised crime.
• During this conference, we have discussed the evolving nature of organised crime, currently taking advantage of digitalisation and new technologies and highly networked. Since organised crime knows no border, no country can defeat it alone.
• The Council of Europe has, over 70 years, established a unique legal framework of operational conventions that makes cooperation possible , while upholding human rights.
• The most notable of these, ratified by all CoE MS and many more, are our Conventions on Extradition and on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters, the latter further now reinforced by the Valetta Protocol and the generalization, inter alia, of the use of digital channels of communication as well as very useful expedited procedures.
• Council of Europe Conventions set standards that go beyond effective investigations and prosecution: they remind us of the human side of justice, with instruments such as the Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons, supporting social reintegration and rehabilitation.
• As we remain committed to ensuring that our cooperation frameworks are robust, flexible, and rights-compliant, particularly as crime evolves, the work of our intergovernmental committees is as relevant as ever, especially the Committee on Crime Problems and its specialist subcommittees, including the PC-OC. With your participation, these committees help ensure the concrete day-to-day application of the Conventions and providing practical guidance and modern tools for judicial cooperation.
• With the aim of improving criminal asset recovery, we are currently negotiating an Additional Protocol to the Warsaw Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure and Confiscation of the Proceeds from Crime and on the Financing of Terrorism. This is another example of the CoE MS identifying a gap in their legal armoury when faced with a new challenge, and then turning to the CoE to help fill that gap in a way that provides concrete guidance but still leaves sufficient space for national legal traditions and specificities.

• Underline synergies with other Council of Europe Conventions and work, such as cybercrime and electronic evidence, trafficking in human beings, counterfeiting of medicines, trafficking of cultural property and environmental crimes.
• Encourage MS to sign the new Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law which will be opened for signature on 3 December 2025 in Strasbourg.
• These Council of Europe Conventions are not just European, they are open to partners worldwide, promoting a global reach and impact, as demonstrated by the growing interest from non-member States in acceding to them.
•  Emphasise the strong collaboration with regional and international partners, particularly the EU and UNODC.
• The Council of Europe stands ready to continue supporting member States and like-minded partner countries, now and in the future, for the safety and security of our democracies and societies.