The inter-regional workshop Handling admissibility of evidence obtained from encrypted networks: operational experience, prosecutorial strategies and evolving jurisprudence in the EU, Western Balkans and countries of the Eastern Partnership was organised by Eurojust through its Western Balkans Criminal Justice (WBCJ) Project, jointly with the WB PACT II and TOPCOP projects at CEPOL in partnership with Europol.
The event brought together prosecutors and law enforcement representatives from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, as well as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova and Ukraine, alongside representatives from EU Member States, Eurojust National Members and experts from Eurojust and Europol.
The first day focused on plenary sessions and case presentations. Europol provided an overview of its Operational Taskforce LIMIT and its role in facilitating analytical and operational cooperation to extract encrypted data and support investigations. Eurojust and the French authorities presented recent jurisprudential developments concerning the admissibility of decrypted communications before European courts.
Practical case studies illustrated how the Prosecution and national courts in Slovenia and Croatia have handled SKY ECC evidence. A roundtable discussion then enabled participants to compare experiences and identify legal and practical challenges, particularly in addressing defence arguments related to legality, authenticity and fair trial guarantees.
The workshop built on previous WBCJ and WB PACT II initiatives conducted between 2023 and 2025, when investigations into encrypted communication platforms were still at an early stage and jurisprudence remained limited. It provided a timely opportunity to assess how judicial approaches have evolved and what implications recent rulings may have for ongoing and future prosecutions.
On the second day, judicial authorities from the Western Balkans, together with Slovenia and Croatia, engaged with representatives of the French Desk at Eurojust, the French National Prosecutor’s Office against Organised Crime (PNACO) and Europol. Discussions focused on prosecution strategies and practical steps to obtain SKY ECC-related data from France in a timely manner.
This event offered a dedicated forum to strengthen cross-regional cooperation, enhance mutual understanding of legal frameworks and support practitioners in addressing the complexities of handling encrypted evidence in cross-border criminal cases.
* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence
Eurojust is an agency of the European Union