INTRODUCTION 4 1.2. PROJECT AND METHODOLOGY The findings presented in this report are a product of research that was conducted as part of a project cofunded by the European Commission, with the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Fundamental and Human Rights (Austria) leading the project in cooperation with the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (Bulgaria), Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts (Germany), Antigone (Italy), Mental Health Perspectives (Lithuania) and Peace Institute (Slovenia). Within the EU, the need for better coordinated judicial cooperation between the Member States grew significantly during the past two decades. In order to facilitate and simplify judicial cooperation in criminal proceedings, the European Commission (EC) has adopted a series of procedural rights instruments (2009 Procedural Roadmap), including the 2002/584/JHA on the European Arrest Warrant; 2008/909/JHA on the Transfer of Prisoners; 2008/947/JHA on Probation and Alternative Sanctions; 2009/829/JHA on the European Supervision Order. The Court of Justice of the European Union clarified in various judgments that the application of mutual recognition instruments must not lead to a violation of fundamental rights.5 Equally, reference to fundamental 5 Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 5 April 2016, Pál Aranyosi and Robert Căldăraru v Generalstaatsanwaltschaft Bremen, joined Cases C-404/15 and C-659/15 PPU.