On Thursday 13 October, Romania became the seventh country to participate in the joint investigation team (JIT) on international crimes committed in Ukraine,which was established in March (see EUROPE 12920/3, 12962/6). It joins Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia and Slovakia.
The President of the EU Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust), Ladislav Hamran, stressed the importance of this joint investigation team in punishing the perpetrators of war crimes in Ukraine. To date, 20 national investigations have been opened in 14 EU Member States into crimes committed in Ukraine.
This approach is “fragmented”, he said. According to him, there is a strong need for coordination between these investigations and Eurojust is in a position to help with this.
Following the entry into force of the Eurojust Regulation in May, which allows the Agency to store and analyse evidence on war crimes, the Agency is currently developing a dedicated programme and database (see EUROPE 12959/3). “We invite countries to share their evidence through these tools”, insisted Ladislav Hamran.
Eurojust has a new Director
Eurojust also appointed its new Administrative Director on 12 October. It is the Dutchman Evert van Walsum. His role is to supervise the day-to-day administration and staff of the Agency. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)