Chapter I: Inter-regional centres specialising in environmental and public health offences

I.-The territorial jurisdiction of a judicial court may be extended to the jurisdiction of one or more courts of appeal for the investigation, prosecution, inquiry and, in the case of misdemeanours, the judgment of the offences defined below in cases relating to a health product as defined by the article L. 5311-1 du code de la santé publique or to a product intended for human or animal consumption or to a product or substance or to medical, paramedical or aesthetic practices and services and which are regulated because of their effects or dangerousness, which are or would appear to be highly complex :

-offences against the human person, within the meaning of Title II of Book II of the Criminal Code;

-offences under the Public Health Code;

-offences under the Rural and Maritime Fishing Code or the Consumer Code;

-offences under the Environmental Code and the Labour Code;

-offences under the Sports Code.

This jurisdiction extends to related offences.

A decree sets the list and jurisdiction of these courts, which include a section of the public prosecutor's office and specialised investigating and trial panels to hear these offences.

The public prosecutor, the investigating judge and the specialised correctional panel of these courts shall exercise, under the conditions and in accordance with the procedures laid down by Article 704-1, concurrent jurisdiction with that resulting from the application of Articles 43,52,382 et 706-42.

The public prosecutor at a judicial court other than those referred to in this article may, for the offences listed above, request the investigating judge, under the conditions and in accordance with the procedures laid down by articles 704-2 and 704-3, to relinquish jurisdiction in favour of the investigating court of the judicial court with extended territorial jurisdiction by application of this article.

II.-Under the conditions and in accordance with the procedures set out in the second to tenth paragraphs of article 706, category A or B civil servants reporting to the ministers responsible for health, research, agriculture and the environment, as well as persons holding, in subjects defined by decree, a national diploma attesting to a course of study of at least four years' duration after the baccalaureate who meet the conditions for access to the civil service and can provide proof of a minimum of four years' professional experience, may perform the duties of an assistant specialising in health or environmental matters.