‘ECLA brings together academics, government and private criminal law practitioners and anyone interested in the wider emerging concept of a European criminal law. Our objects include promotion of the study of European criminal law and procedure; awareness of economic crime in Europe (including in particular fraud and corruption in relation to the Budget of the European Union) and we aim to provide a forum for practitioners, academics and professionals to discuss policies and developments in relation to European criminal law and procedure.
We are unashamedly a “network”; an unincorporated association with close links to the Commission’s anti fraud unit (OLAF) in Brussels, the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and, through our current President, Professor Dr John Spencer, to the Centre for European Legal Studies at Cambridge University.
There are sister Associations in each of the 27 EU member states and in most of the remaining EU candidate countries, in whose work and research we are often involved. From time to time we attend each other’s conferences and seminars, many of which are held with financial support from the Hercule Programme of the European Commission. However, we are independent both of the EU and our own governments and when we express our opinions we do so as private persons.
The Associations in Europe produce a quarterly publication, EUCRIM, which contains the written views and opinions of members. It is edited and distributed by the Max Planck Institute, with financial support from the Commission. It is free from Eucrim@mpicc.de.
The Association has existed in one form or another since 1990. Over the last decade we have organised formal international conferences in Cambridge, London and Edinburgh as well as holding numerous smaller meetings, workshops and seminars on relevant subjects such as International Mutual Legal Assistance, the work of the European Court of Auditors, OLAF, harmonisation of European criminal law & procedure, the European Judicial Network, The European Arrest Warrant, Framework Decisions on criminal law and comparative criminal law in Europe. We have also contributed papers and evidence to the House of Lords EU Committee and to the European Commission’s Committee on Budgetary Control.
Meetings and lectures are normally held at the Institute for Advanced Legal Studies (IALS) in Russell Square, London WC1.
For more inormation please visit: http://www.eucriminallaw.com/constitution/
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