On Monday 13 January, the European Union Agency for Judicial Cooperation (Eurojust) published a report on the launch day of the European Judicial Organised Crime Network (EJOCN), which it hosted on 25 and 26 September.
Prosecutors appointed by 24 EU Member States, representatives of Eurojust, Europol, the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA), the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) and the European Commission discussed the needs, expectations and approaches of this network, approved by the Justice and Home Affairs Council in June 2024 (see EUROPE 13432/9), whose mission is to strengthen judicial cooperation in the fight against organised crime, in particular drug trafficking.
The lack of timely exchanges of information, the obstacles posed by the disparities between national legal systems and the delays in setting up joint investigation teams were some of the issues raised by participants.
They also called for improved exchanges, both formal and informal, better identification of the relevant counterparts in the third country, and proactive and rapid cooperation, supported by strengthened Joint Investigation Teams (JITs).
They also discussed issues relating to data retention, extradition and the handling of cross-border money laundering.
The participants indicated that the EJOCN should be an additional aid for practitioners and thus serve as a bridge for operational work and promote Eurojust and the JITs “as very useful tools that should be put in place at an early stage”.
The network is also expected to provide information and recommendations to policy-makers and legislators, and to carry out any tasks that are deemed to be of primary importance and that will be on the EJOCN’s agenda for the next two years.
It was suggested that regular meetings should be held in The Hague, where Eurojust is based, and that the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU should organise and chair the meetings and activities of the EJOCN, with the help of the Eurojust support structure.
Read the report: https://aeur.eu/f/f1e (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)