International cooperation in drug trafficking cases with third countries: Practical experiences of Liaison Prosecutors at Eurojust

The negotiations and conclusion of the agreements must follow the procedure laid down in Article 218 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. [...] — The language used gives a clear indication of the binding nature of the agreements and their respect of the different principles of international law, and compliance with the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. [...] (1) At the proposal of the prosecutor, the head of the relevant PPO, through the Prosecutor of Gen- eral or the Head of the Special Prosecutor’s Office, may request the creation of joint investiga- tion teams in the following cases. [...] (4) Once the Ministry of Justice has given its approval, it forwards the authorisation, via the Prose- cutor General, to the Chief Public Prosecutor of the PPO having territorial jurisdiction over the investigation of the offence for which the establishment of the investigation team is requested, or to the special jurisdiction, if applicable. [...] In accordance with Georgian law, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Georgia is the competent authority to authorise the set-up of a JIT and appoint the Deputy Prosecutor General who will be signing the JIT agreement (depending on the type of crime).