International Co-operation in Civil and Criminal Matters

Book excerpt: For over a century states have co-operated in providing evidence for use in civil trials in other countries. The growth of international crimes such as drug-trafficking, money-laundering, terrorism, and insider-trading now pose a substantial threat to the economies and stability of states, and governments and international organizations have been quick to expand past experience into a variety of responses - both diplomatic and institutional - to the new international crimes. This book sets out the law applicable to co-operation between states in these areas, and investigates the relevant practice and case law. It discusses both the civil and criminal dimensions of international co-operation. The new edition incorporates the vast number of developments that have taken place since the previous edition published in 2002, including the European Union's resolve to build an area of freedom, security, and justice, and the recent major update of the Commonwealth Scheme.