JITs collaboration platform

For years, JIT practitioners, supported by the JITs Network Secretariat and Eurojust, have been advocating for an online collaborative environment that would enable JIT members and participants to safely exchange digital information and evidence and allow for secure electronic communication.

On 1 December 2021, the European Commission presented a proposal for a Regulation establishing a collaboration platform to support the functioning of joint investigation teams, as part of a package of legislative initiatives on security and justice in the digital world. The resulting Regulation 2023/969 establishing a collaboration platform to support the functioning of joint investigation teams entered into force on 6 June 2023.

The Commission, eu-LISA and the JITs Network Secretariat are working on the creation of the platform.

Purpose
Key actors

Purpose

The purpose of the JITs collaboration platform is:

to enhance cooperation between authorities involved in a JIT;
to facilitate the coordination and management of a JIT;
to enable the rapid and secure exchange and temporary storage of operational data (including large files);
to allow for secure communication between JIT members and participants;
to contribute to the traceability of evidence exchange through logging and tracking mechanisms, and;
to streamline JIT evaluations by providing for a collaborative evaluation process.

The JITs collaboration platform will be composed of a centralised information system, hosted by eu-LISA, which will allow for temporary central data storage; a communication software which will allow for the secure local storage of communication data on the devices of the JITs collaboration platform users; and a connection between the centralised information system and relevant IT tools that support the functioning of JITs and that are managed by the JITs Network Secretariat and Eurojust.

The use of the JITs collaboration platform will be voluntary.

Key actors

European Commission

Based on Regulation 2023/969, the European Commission is to adopt relevant implementing acts necessary for the technical development of the platform.

eu-LISA

The European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA) plays an important role in both the development and operational stages of the JITs collaboration platform.

An Advisory Group was set up in 2023 to obtain expertise related to the JITs collaboration platform. The Advisory Group is chaired by eu-LISA and is composed of representatives from the EU Member States, the Commission and the JITs Network Secretariat. The Programme Management Board ensures management of the design and development phases.

Once the JITs collaboration platform becomes operational, eu-LISA will operate it, monitor its development, provide technical support, carry out improvements, and ensure a high level of (cyber) security.

Eurojust

Eurojust is working together with eu-LISA to implement Eurojust access to the JITs CP and establish a connection with the JIT Funding System, as one of the key objectives of Eurojust’s Digital Criminal Justice (DCJ) Programme, advancing the EU’s vision for a secure, interoperable and efficient digital justice ecosystem.

JITs Network Secretariat

The JITs Network Secretariat will support the functioning of the JITs collaboration platform by:

providing, at the request of the JIT space administrator, administrative, legal and technical support in the context of the creation and access rights management of individual JIT collaboration spaces;
providing day-to-day guidance, functional support and assistance to practitioners on the use of the JITs collaboration platform and its functionalities;
designing and providing training courses for the platform users,
raising awareness and promoting the use of the JITs collaboration platform among practitioners;
keeping eu-LISA informed of additional functional requirements by submitting an annual report based on the feedback collected from the JITs collaboration platform users.