On 8 and 9 June, high-ranking representatives of national police services and other law enforcement authorities examined the role and added value of the MEDICRIME Convention in the investigation of offences related to counterfeiting of medical products, and how the Convention fills the gaps in the criminal law with the aim of protecting public health. The conference also focused on the importance of cooperation with judicial and public health authorities, as well as international cooperation to fight this form of growing crime, in particular in the context of Covid-19.
It brought together more than 130 participants from 30 Council of Europe member states, plus the United States, Israel, the Ivory Coast, Guinea, Ecaduor, Columbia, Costa Rica and Paraguay. This conference has shown that the Council of Europe should put additional efforts to establish a Network of representatives of police services of Council of Europe member states that would gather high-ranking police officers to discuss issues of importance to their work such as fighting counterfeit medical products in times of COVID-19 pandemic and the implementation of the MEDICRIME Convention.