These guidelines, jointly prepared by the JITs Network Secretariat and Eurojust, provide guidance to EU Member State practitioners on setting up a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) with a third country. The document addresses the relevant legal bases and provides guidance on specific factors that competent national authorities of EU Member States may need to consider when deciding to use a JIT as a tool for cooperation with a third country. Best practices are highlighted and a checklist for practitioners is included, and is also available as a separate document here.

The findings presented are based on information from the JITs Network Secretariat, Eurojust’s casework in the field, and input from Liaison Prosecutors at Eurojust. The document is an updated version of the guidelines published in 2019 by the Council of the European Union as a restricted access document.