New Southbound Policy Portal

Taiwan and Poland concluded an agreement on legal cooperation in criminal matters June 17 in Taipei City, further strengthening relations between the like-minded partners.
 
The pact was signed by Weber Ven-bin Shih, head of the Taipei Representative Office in Poland, and Maciej Artur Gaca, director general of the Polish Office in Taipei. Also present were Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu, Justice Minister Tsai Ching-hsiang and Lukasz Piebiak, undersecretary of state for Poland’s Ministry of Justice.
 
Under the agreement, which has been the subject of ongoing negotiations since 2015, the two sides will fast-track extradition proceedings, increase exchanges of information on laws, implementation and prosecutions, share intelligence on combating transnational crime and terrorism, and streamline procedures for transferring prisoners.
 
Following the signing ceremony, representatives from both sides participated in an inaugural consultation to chart a course for future collaboration. They also agreed that the second meeting will be held next year in Warsaw.
 
According to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Justice, the pact is a milestone in government efforts to expand Taiwan’s judicial cooperation with the EU. It follows similar agreements with countries like the Philippines, South Africa and the U.S.
 
Taiwan and Poland share a close relationship spanning a broad spectrum of areas such as agriculture, higher education, scientific research and trade. The two sides inked pacts on science and higher education in 2018 and double taxation avoidance in 2016. (SFC-E)

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