This report, co-authored by REDRESS and the International Federation for Human Rights, aims to increase general knowledge of the issues surrounding the exercise of extraterritorial jurisdiction, and universal jurisdiction in particular, in the European Union.
To that end, this publication provides an overview of the current laws and practices of 27 EU member states, as well as that of Norway and Switzerland, concerning extraterritorial jurisdiction for prosecution of crimes under international law. In doing so, this report demonstrated that many states have built up considerable capacity in this area, are now exercising significant extraterritorial jurisdiction in relation to such crimes. Finally, we offers an assessment of the common trends and hurdles presented by the legislation.