Minors can be involved in judicial proceedings of a different Member State when they have - allegedly - committed an offence within the EU. Whereas the EU has developed instruments to facilitate cooperation between Member States in criminal matters, no specific instruments exist to deal with cross-border youth justice cases. This book assesses to what extent it is possible and feasible to develop EU cooperation in youth justice matters.

In EU youth justice: The personal scope of EU criminal law and the diversity of youth justice systems, on the one hand the author examines whether youth justice matters fall within the scope of EU judicial cooperation in criminal matters. On the other hand, a thorough legal comparison is carried out between the youth justice systems of Austria, the French Community of Belgium, the Netherlands and Northern Ireland. Their similarities and differences are evaluated in terms of age limits, specialised actors (police officers, public prosecutors, courts, lawyers, support services and detention institutions), and reactions (diversion, non-custodial and custodial reactions).

This book is for anyone interested in foreign youth justice systems, children's rights and EU criminal law.

With a foreword by Vincent Van Quickenborne, Belgian Minister of justice.