Building on the 2024 and 2025 editions, this year’s training focused on cooperation between the Western Balkans and Latin America. Alongside representatives from the WB6 – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia – practitioners from 13 Latin American countries took part: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay and Uruguay.

The training marked a further step in strengthening operational cooperation between the two regions, building on the joint efforts of the WBCJ and EL PACCTO 2.0 projects.

During the three-day training, practitioners from the Western Balkans, Latin America and EU Member States worked together on a fictional cross-border case developed specifically for the training. Through simulations and group exercises, participants addressed key operational elements, including the preparation of JIT agreements, coordination meetings and the organisation of joint action days.

The programme brought together extensive expertise on JITs, particularly from the JITs Network Secretariat. It also gave practitioners from the Western Balkans and Latin America an opportunity to build professional relationships and mutual trust – both essential to establishing and operating successful JITs.

The training further strengthened mutual understanding and operational links between the two regions, highlighting the value of JITs in tackling cross-border criminal networks.

It followed the establishment in April of the first two JITs between Western Balkan and Latin American countries at Eurojust, with support from the WBCJ Project and EL PACCTO 2.0. The training is expected to support the development of further JITs between authorities in the two regions.