Mr Tournié, Chair of the MEDICRIME Committee, addressed the Rapporteur Group on Legal Co-operation (GR-J) of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to present the Committee’s work aimed at strengthening the implementation of the MEDICRIME Convention in the fight against falsified medical products and similar crimes involving threats to public health.
In his speech, he noted in particular that the Convention is the only binding international legal instrument targeting the falsification of medical products and related crimes. He also emphasised the central role of international cooperation in criminal matters, which is key component of the MEDICRIME Convention.
Since its entry into force in 2016, the MEDICRIME Convention counts 23 States Parties and 22 signatory States. Two further States, Cameroon and Senegal, have also been invited to accession. These figures demonstrate the interest in the Convention beyond the European context, whilst highlighting the potential for further expansion of its scope.
The Chair outlined several key areas of the Committee’s work aimed at ensuring the Convention’s effectiveness. He referred to the monitoring of its implementation, through the 1st Monitoring round devoted to “the protection of public health through the MEDICRIME Convention in times of pandemicst, as well as the development of the MEDICRIME Strategy, a new edition of which is currently being prepared. He also outlined the work focusing on new threats linked to technological developments and the digital environment, in particular the report on the MEDICRIME Convention in the age of artificial intelligence, adopted in 2026.
Operational co-operation is also a key focus of the Committee’s work. The Chair emphasised the need to facilitate contacts between the competent authorities and to strengthen the rapid exchange of police and judicial information, in particular through the planned establishment of a specialised network available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (24/7 Network).
In this context, he further mentioned the importance of close cooperation with the health sector and with several Council of Europe bodies, notably the Committee of Experts on the Reduction of Public Health Risks Associated with the Falsification of Medical Products and Similar Offences (CD-P-PH/CMED), the International Cooperation Group on Drugs and Addiction (Pompidou Group) and the Monitoring Group of the Anti-Doping Convention (T-DO).
Finally, he stressed the importance of expanding the MEDICRIME Convention. Recalling that judicial co-operation can only be fully effective if it is based on a legal framework shared by as many States as possible, he called for continued efforts to secure new accessions. Broader participation would thus help to ensure better protection of public health.
The GR-J welcomed Mr Tournié’s presentation as well as the work undertaken by the MEDICRIME Committee to strengthen the implementation of the Convention. It emphasised the importance of the role played by the Committee in protecting public health and welcomed its ongoing commitment to enhanced international cooperation.
It also commended the Committee’s efforts to broaden accession to the MEDICRIME Convention, agreeing that wider participation contributes to better protection of public health at international level.
