ABSTRACT
Three stages may be differentiated in the evolution of judicial cooperation in criminal matters in the EU.
The first stage corresponds to classic cooperation, mainly developed within the Council of Europe in the 1950s through multilateral agreements such as the 1957 Extradition Convention1 or the Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters of 20 April 1959 (hereafter the 1959 MLA Convention) and its protocols.2 Strongly marked by sovereignty and the principle of territoriality, the cooperation mechanisms established by these conventions are generally slow and burdensome because of the diplomatic channels used to transmit requests, the broad grounds for refusal, the lack of specific time limits or the possibility left to State parties to formulate reservations or declarations.
