This news item continues the reporting of key decisions taken by the European Committee on Crime Problems (CDPC). The CDPC oversees and coordinates the Council of Europe’s activities in the field of crime prevention and crime control. The CDPC meets twice a year in plenary at the headquarters of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg (France). The88th plenary meeting was held from 25 to 27 November 2025. The main decisions taken include:

• Establishment of two new expert committees: (1) The PC-FIMI is mandated to carry out a feasibility study on the possible elaboration of a Council of Europe legal instrument on foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI); it will explore challenges in relation to election interference, media concentration and capture, media freedom and democratic and information literacy, organised crime, cybercrime, corruption, and the malign use of AI and other technologies. (2) The PC-TM is responsible for drafting a recommendation on deterring and fighting the smuggling of migrants and for supporting the implementation of the Council of Europe’s Action Plan on Fostering International Cooperation and Investigative Strategies in Combating the Smuggling of Migrants.
• Approval of the draft revised Recommendation Rec(89)12 on education in prison as proposed by the PC-CP; the CDPC took also note of the ongoing work on the review of Recommendation CM/Rec(2012)12 concerning foreign prisoners and the Council of Europe Probation Rules.
• Approval of the Recommendation on Accountability for Technology-facilitated Violence against Women and Girls.
• Examination and approval of the draft Additional Protocol supplementing the Council of Europe Convention on laundering, search, seizure and confiscation of the proceeds from crime and on the financing of terrorism, which is to be adopted by the Committee of Ministers in 2026.

Furthermore, the CDPC encouraged Council of Europe member states, which have not done so far, to contribute to the mapping study on criminal liability related to the use of artificial intelligence, which is conducted by the two legal experts Sabine Gless and Alfonso Peralta. The CDPC also welcomed that the CoE's Conventions on Medicrime, trafficking in human organs, and protection of cultural property have enjoyed growing membership. A focus of continuous work will be laid on hate crime, restorative justice, and child-friendly justice.

Lastly, the participants held elections for the positions of President, Vice-President and Bureau Members of the Committee. Lorenzo Salazar (Italy) succeeds Fritz Zeder (Austria) as President. Ms Garonne Bezjak (Germany) was elected Vice-President. Their terms of office will begin on 1 January 2026 and last for two years.