On 13 November, the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, Eurojust, published its Single Programming Document for the period 2025-2027, setting out its strategic priorities and the challenges ahead in the fight against cross-border crime.
Digital and operational priorities. With a 287% increase in registered cases between 2014 and 2023, Eurojust forecasts a 10% annual increase in cases between now and 2027. To address this increase, the agency will deploy a new case management system from 2025.
This system will enable full integration with platforms such as the counter-terrorism register and facilitate digital exchanges with national and international authorities.
The aim is also to strengthen operational support for joint investigation teams (JITs), with a target of a 10% increase in the number of new teams supported each year.
In 2023, 76% of the cases handled by Eurojust concerned priority areas such as money laundering, drug trafficking and cybercrime. The agency plans to maintain this level while increasing the number of cases opened on its own initiative, currently set at 10 per year.
An expanded mandate in the face of geopolitical challenges. The conflict in Ukraine continues to take centre stage. Since 2023, Eurojust has hosted the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression (ICPA) and has processed more than 1,500 items of evidence relating to international crimes thanks to the through the CICED database. These activities are set to be stepped up in the coming years.
Budget. Eurojust’s budget has been set at €69.3 million for 2025, and is expected to rise to €73.5 million in 2027. However, the agency anticipates a deficit of €14 million in 2025, mainly due to inflation and its expanded mandate.
The agency also estimates that it is short of 57 full-time positions to meet its growing workload.
To compensate for these limitations, Eurojust is banking on streamlining its processes, digitalisation and closer collaboration with its European and international partners.
Read the document: https://aeur.eu/f/edw (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)