The fifth interparliamentary meeting organised by the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) was held on Monday 2 December. This annual meeting provided an opportunity to evaluate the activities of the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, Eurojust.
Invited to give a keynote speech, the new European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice and Rule of Law, Michael McGrath, emphasised Eurojust’s central role in the fight against cross-border crime: “Eurojust has proved its worth by handling more than 13,000 cases this year, contributing to the arrest of 4,200 suspects and the seizure of nearly €1 billion in criminal assets”.
He stressed the need to strengthen the agency’s human and financial resources, noting that organised crime is intensifying and evolving rapidly, particularly due to new technologies such as cryptocurrencies and artificial intelligence, and said: “I will make it a priority of my mandate to strengthen Eurojust and give it the human and financial resources it needs to deliver justice for all European citizens”.
The Commissioner also spoke of the European Union’s coordinated judicial response to the war in Ukraine. He recalled the creation of a database on evidence of international crimes (CICED) and the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine (ICPA) within Eurojust: “These initiatives demonstrate our commitment to bringing the perpetrators of war crimes to justice”.
Michael Schmid, recently elected head of Eurojust, presented the agency’s operational results for 2023. “We have seen a steady increase in the number of cases handled, doubling since 2018 to 13,000 this year. This reflects not only the increasing complexity of transnational crime, but also the growing confidence in our expertise”.
The President of the agency also outlined the agency’s priorities for the future, including the modernisation of its digital systems.
He also stressed the key role of international cooperation, calling for greater collaboration with regions such as Latin America and the Middle East to tackle the sources of organised crime.
Cybercrime, drug trafficking and human trafficking were also mentioned as strategic priorities.
Mr Schmid recalled that the agency had supported nearly 300 joint investigation teams, facilitating the arrest of thousands of suspects and the seizure of drugs worth €25.6 billion. He also affirmed Eurojust’s decisive action in the fight against the exploitation of children online, with the development of new digital tools and the strengthening of partnerships with Internet service providers.
However, despite these impressive results, Mr Schmid warned of the urgent need for additional resources: “Our budget remains insufficient, with a deficit of €14 million for 2025 and a shortfall of 47 members of staff. If we want to continue to ensure justice and security for Europe’s citizens, we need to invest more”. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)