Member States are satisfied with the way the EU’s judicial cooperation agency, Eurojust, handled the Covid-19 crisis. This is stated in a first draft of the EU Council conclusions on Eurojust’s 2019 Annual Report, dated 29 June and of which EUROPE received a copy.
“While criminals have been quick to seize opportunities to exploit this unprecedented health crisis, Eurojust has continued to bring prosecutors and judges from across the EU together in a virtual way”, the text says.
It also underlines the need, highlighted by the pandemic, to digitalise in depth the way prosecutors and judges work together, using secure connections for videoconferencing and the exchange of information and evidence.
The text also recognises that 2019 was a special year for Eurojust, as the Regulation establishing a new governance model to improve the operational efficiency of the agency (see EUROPE 12044/3) entered into force.
“Significant changes to Eurojust’s governance structure, external relations policy and data protection regime have contributed to a more efficient and modern organisation while allowing for an increase focus on operational work”, the text says.
Last year alone, Eurojust’s support contributed to the arrest of nearly 2,700 suspects and the seizure or freezing of €2 billion of criminal assets, it said.
“Future-proof resources”
The draft text also calls for “future-proof resources” for Eurojust in the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027. It acknowledges that the agency’s workload and operational tasks have increased considerably in recent years, while its budget has not kept pace.
“The evolving security threat landscape requires an effective response from both law enforcement and judiciary. And large-scale investments in police cooperation at EU level will undeniably lead to more complex cross-border cases referred to Eurojust”, it explains, stressing the need to avoid a judicial “bottleneck” in the EU’s response against organised crime.
The text is due to be presented and discussed in the EU Council Working Party on Cooperation in Criminal Matters (COPEN) on 9 July. (Original version in French by Marion Fontana)