The Member States' ambassadors to the EU (Coreper) endorsed without discussion, on Wednesday 30 September, the EU Council conclusions on Eurojust's Annual Report 2019. These have yet to be formally adopted by the EU Council.
The final version contains few changes compared to the first draft in June (see EUROPE 12519/7) and welcomes the way Eurojust handled the Covid-19 crisis.
“The EU Council is very appreciative of Eurojust’s efforts to safeguard operational continuity in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. 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.
The conclusions furthermore argue in favour of “future-proof resources” for Eurojust, in the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027. They recognise that the Agency's workload and operational tasks have increased considerably in recent years, while its budget has not kept pace.
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.
See the conclusions: https://bit.ly/2GfgCD9 (Original version in French by Marion Fontana)