Chapter II: Provisions specific to mutual assistance between France and the other Member States of the European Union

An order freezing property is an order issued by a judicial authority of a Member State of the European Union, known as the issuing State, in order to prevent the destruction, transformation, movement, transfer or disposal of property liable to confiscation and located in the territory of another Member State, known as the executing State. The judicial authority shall be competent, in accordance with the rules and under the conditions…

A freezing order may be issued in respect of any movable or immovable property, whether tangible or intangible, and any legal instrument or document evidencing title to or interest in such property, which the judicial authority of the issuing State considers to be the proceeds of an offence or to correspond in whole or in part to the value of such proceeds, or to be the instrument or object of…

Any decision to freeze assets shall be accompanied by a certificate issued by the judicial authority that ordered the measure and containing the following information: 1° Identification of the judicial authority that issued, validated or confirmed the freezing order and of the authority competent to execute the said order in the issuing State, if different from the issuing authority; 2° (Repealed) 3° The date and purpose of the freezing order;…

The property freezing order shall be accompanied by a request for enforcement of an order for confiscation of the property. Failing this, the certificate shall contain an instruction to retain the property in the executing State until receipt of the request referred to in the previous paragraph and shall mention the likely date on which such a request will be made. The request shall be transmitted by the issuing State…

The certificate must be translated into the official language or one of the official languages of the executing State or into one of the official languages of the institutions of the European Communities accepted by that State.

The freezing order and the certificate shall, subject to the provisions of the second paragraph, be transmitted directly by the judicial authority of the issuing State to the judicial authority of the executing State, by any means which leaves a written record and under conditions allowing the latter authority, to verify their authenticity. Where a Member State of the European Union has made a declaration to that effect, the freezing…