With crime becoming increasingly globalised and criminal organisations operating more like international corporations than ever, prosecutors cannot work within the boundaries of their own countries. Eurojust functions as a much-appreciated one-stop shop for the effective prosecution of cross-border organised crime. As practitioners confirm: ‘prosecutors want results, and Eurojust provides results’^[2].

The evaluation recognises Eurojust as an indispensable actor in the field of judicial cooperation against serious cross-border crime. The report concludes that Eurojust is ‘very effective in supporting and strengthening coordination and cooperation between national investigating and prosecuting authorities’^[3] and that the Agency provides clear value beyond what Member States could achieve alone^[4].

In an environment where the needs of half of the professionals in the judicial field have changed ‘to a great extent’ since the Eurojust Regulation’s application^[5], Eurojust is up-to-date with developments in criminal activities, and can facilitate cooperation in complex investigations. This is especially valuable where individual Member States may lack the capacity or expertise to prosecute specific types of crime^[6].

Eurojust’s work is particularly valued in complex bilateral cases, cases involving more than two Member States and cases involving complex crime types, as it provides:

• a structured environment for prosecutors from multiple countries to collaborate,
• a coordination function: support for JITs, coordination meetings and joint action days,
• analysis and expertise as a neutral third party in its role as “judicial service provider”: helping national authorities understand each other’s legal systems, resolve legal conflicts, and provide tools for joint investigations,
• the ability for prosecutors and judges involved in the case to speak their own language in coordination meetings and budget support for cooperation through travel costs, for example, or costs for interpretation^[7],
• and ways to cooperate with third countries, international organisations and networks.

[1] Evaluation Report p49
[2] Support study for the Evaluation of the implementation and impact of Regulation (EU) 2018/1727 of 14 November 2018 on the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust), and of the effectiveness and efficiency of Eurojust and its working practices (Support Study) p94
[3] Evaluation Report p25
[4] Support Study p17
[5] Support Study p168
[6] Support Study p175
[7] Support Study p159