Role of the Council of Europe in the field of penal law

Recommendation 654 (1972)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

Assembly debate on 20 January 1972 (17th Sitting) (see Doc. 3075, report of the Legal Affairs Committee). Text adopted by the Assembly on 20 January 1972 (17th Sitting).

The Assembly,

1. Welcoming the substantial achievements of the Council of Europe in the field of penal law ;

2. Considering that, among these achievements, the European conventions in the field of penal law take an important place ;

3. Considering the need for more signatures and ratifications of these conventions by Council of Europe member States ;

4. Convinced that the Council of Europe will continue in the years to come to play a central role in European co-operation in matters of penal law ;

5. Considering that the process of European unification calls for the harmonisation of the provisions of adjective as well as of substantive penal law ;

6. Considering that, as a further step towards harmonisation, it would be of great importance if national administrations were kept informed regularly of legislative activities going on in other member States,

7. Recommends that the Committee of Ministers :

a invite those member States which have not yet done so to sign and ratify :

7.1.1 the European Convention on Extradition,

7.1.2 the European Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters,

7.1.3 the European Convention on the Punishment of Road Traffic Offences,

7.1.4 the European Convention on the Supervision of Conditionally Sentenced or Conditionally Released Offenders,

7.1.5 the European Convention on the International Validity of Criminal Judgments ;

b submit the draft European Convention on the Transfer of Proceedings in Criminal Matters to the Assembly for an opinion before opening it for signature by member States of the Council of Europe and to follow the same procedure in future for the other conventions in the field of penal law ;

c instruct the European Committee on Crime Problems to study what fields of substantive and adjective penal law the Council of Europe might usefully work on with a view to the harmonisation of penal law in Europe, such as environmental questions, the protection of the private life of the individual, the taking of hostages and kidnapping in connection with crimes against property ;

d strengthen, within the framework of the European Committee on Crime Problems, the system of exchanging information on legislative activities.