On 18 October 2024, the Cybercrime Programme Office of the Council of Europe (C-PROC) organised the eighth Annual Meeting of the 24/7 Points of Contact at the EUROPOL premises, in The Hague, Netherlands.
Under Article 35 of the Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention), the 24/7 Network facilitates immediate assistance for cybercrime investigations and the collection of electronic evidence, with expedited data preservation as a distinctive element made available to States Parties.
Over 100 participants from more than 80 countries attended the event, in person and online, while Fiji, Grenada, Kiribati, and Tunisia used this opportunity to introduce their institutional capabilities as new members of the Network.
The participants shared examples of operational cooperation in emergency situations between members of the Network and exchanged good practices on internal awareness process, dedicated staff, training, internal procedures on processing requests for international cooperation.
The discussions emphasised C-PROC's role in developing capacities through initiatives aimed at supporting the establishment and strengthening of 24/7 contact points through dedicated workshops via the CYBOX platform (developed under the Octopus Project) and the Cyber-Skills Sharing Programme.
Furthermore, the meeting facilitated the discussions on new synergies and collaboration opportunities with other networks of INTERPOL and the G7 and the introduction of tools for international cooperation developed under the SIRIUS project, aiming to enhance global efforts to combat cybercrime.
Further steps to enhance cooperation with online providers were discussed with representatives of private partners such as Google, Kodex and TikTok, who were present at the event and showcased their cooperation mechanisms designed to support law enforcement agencies..
The 2024 meeting reached its objectives to strengthen the cooperation within the 24/7 Network of the Budapest Convention by improving members' understanding on obtaining data from multinational service providers, enhancing awareness of domestic capabilities and tools for processing emergency requests, and clarifying the role of the Network for criminal justice authorities in states invited to join the Convention.
The Council of Europe will continue to assist the Network through targeted capacity building activities implemented by the Cybercrime Programme Office (C-PROC).
The 24/7 Network established under the Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention)
Cybercrime Programme Office of the Council of Europe (C-PROC)