merrion street

Justice Minister Alan Shatter today signed a Bilateral Agreement between the Government of Ireland and the Government of Romania on cooperation in combating serious crime.

The purpose of the Agreement is to further facilitate the exchange of information on serious crimes such as drug trafficking, organised crime, money laundering, and terrorism among others. The Agreement also provides for cooperation by both parties in training initiatives to share expertise in the areas of prevention, detection and investigation of criminal activities.

Minister Shatter said:

Experience has shown that there are growing links between criminal groups operating across the European Union and beyond. Those intent on committing serious organised crime of a cross border nature are ready to exploit any available opportunity to line their own pockets at the expense of the law abiding citizen. I believe that bilateral agreements of this nature, building on the existing cooperation measures at European level, further enhance our capacity to respond to the threat posed by organised crime.

Under this Agreement appropriate channels of direct communication will be established between An Garda Síochána and the Revenue Commissioners in this jurisdiction and the Romanian authorities so as to facilitate implementation of the Agreement.