Eurojust trains Western Balkan prosecutors on cross-border e-evidence

Eurojust reported on 12 October 2026 that two of its projects, the Western Balkans Criminal Justice (WBCJ) Project and the SIRIUS Project, organized a workshop in Montenegro on 8 and 9 October on cross-border access to electronic evidence held by service providers. It brought together prosecutors and competent authorities from the six Western Balkan partners.

The sessions covered each stage of obtaining data, from identifying and preserving it to requesting its disclosure, and the routes available: voluntary requests, emergency disclosure, direct access and mutual legal assistance, under the relevant international and EU frameworks. The program included presentations by specialists, among them from Rakuten, Japan, and prosecutors from Portugal and Germany shared their experience of investigating online child sexual abuse material and of the chain of custody.

Participants were also introduced to the SIRIUS Platform and discussed practical problems with harmful online content and with cooperation with service providers.

Why it matters Most investigations into online crime now depend on data held by a platform in another jurisdiction. Whether a request is voluntary, urgent or formal changes how fast the data arrives and whether it holds up in court, which is why the chain of custody ran through the program.