RECOVER
Università cattolica del Sacro cuore, Ministerstwo sprawiedliwosci (Ministero della giustizia - Polonia), Lietuvos respublikos generaline prokuratura (Procura generale - Lituania), Openbaar ministerie - college van procureurs generaal (Procura generale - Olanda), Fiscalía general del Estado (Procura generale - Spagna), Humboldt-universitaet zu Berlin (Università Humboldt - Germania), Agentia nationala de administrare a bunurilor indisponibilizate (Agenzia per la gestione e il recupero dei beni sequestrati e confiscati - Romania), Procuradoria-geral da Republica (Procura generale - Portogallo), Prosecutor's office of the Republic of Bulgaria (Procura generale - Bulgaria), Ministere de la justice (Ministero della giustizia - Francia), Ministero della giustizia (Italia) - Fundacion Internacional y para Iberoamerica de Administracion i Politicas Publicas (Spagna)
Abstract
The project RECOVER will improve the implementation of the Regulation no. 1805/2018 (REG) on the mutual recognition (MR) of freezing and confiscation orders, as fundamental tool of cooperation in the fight against organized and economic crime.
The REG has a strong political value for its impact in terms of criminal policy and its effect of dragging mutual recognition on substantive issues.
RECOVER is the first impact assessment of the REG from the substantial criminal law view point. It creates a net-work of Prosecutors, Judicial and Asset Recovery Offices (ARO) in 10 EU MS not only to detect and overcome the legal issues in the REG interpretation, but also to create the substantial conditions in implementing it in compliance with the rule of law, increasing mutual trust and harmonization.
RECOVER consists of the following steps: establishing the REG subject matter by clarifying the concept of “proceedings in criminal matters” (art. 1 REG); identifying the forms of freezing and confiscation orders covered by the REG in each MS, with the necessary safeguards; identifying the safeguards in MR procedure; pointing out the main obstacles and legal issues in REG implementation and exchanging best practices; assessing the possibility in applying the REG to legal persons; focusing the legal and practical difficulties in AROs’ activities; promoting the efficient management of frozen assets, protection of victims’ rights and social reuse of confiscated assets.
These objectives will be realized through: the network of partner MS, to be set up by desk analysis, national reports based on questionnaires, workshop as tool of direct dialogue; the involvement of non-partner MS by interviews to experts, dissemination workshops, international seminars in the perspective of mutual learning as basis for the mutual trust. Best practices, guidelines, reform proposals will be collected in a comprehensive database at the disposal of all EU MS for the REG’s successful application.
