International Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, with special reference to the upcoming obligations related to the Third Additional Protocol of the Council of Europe, was the topic of a training session for attorneys/lawyers held on January 29, 2026, in Sarajevo. The training was organized by the Sector for Criminal Assistance and Education in Criminal Matters before the Court of BiH of the Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Regional Bar Association Sarajevo.

The lecturer at the training was attorney Nikola Sladoje, a member of the Bar Association of Republika Srpska, who provided practical guidelines for conducting international legal assistance procedures between Bosnia and Herzegovina and other countries, sharing his extensive experience in the implementation of existing international agreements.

Special focus was placed on the Third Additional Protocol to the European Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters, which introduces new mechanisms of cooperation between states and further simplifies and accelerates procedures of international legal assistance, particularly through modernized forms of communication and information exchange between competent authorities.

Attorneys/lawyers shared their own experiences and challenges from daily practice, including extradition procedures, methods of communication with foreign authorities and submission of requests, recognition of foreign judgments, the principle of dual criminality, transfer of sentenced persons, and the application of international conventions. Significant benefits were achieved through joint simulation exercises of real-life situations commonly encountered in legal practice.

The training was conducted as part of mandatory continuous professional development and brought together 20 attorneys/lawyers.

The training was evaluated by participants as highly useful.