4. Enhancing judicial cooperation policy and instruments
As the EU centre of judicial and legal expertise in criminal justice cooperation, Eurojust continued to carry out a strategic analysis of the functioning of judicial cooperation instruments to identify obstacles to judicial cooperation, recommend possible solutions and collect best practice throughout 2020. Several new reports and workshops for judicial experts fostered new insights into legal and operational challenges in investigating and prosecuting particular crime types. Other activities, projects and publications focused on key challenges in judicial cooperation and cross-border criminal investigations.
'Positioned at the centre of gravity of the criminal justice system within the European Union, Eurojust has a unique perspective on how legal instruments, from Conventions and Framework Decisions adopted under the former Third Pillar to Directives and Regulations adopted post-Lisbon, work in practice.
Supporting and enhancing cooperation between national authorities – from the gathering of evidence and all the specificities such a process implies, to the seizure and confiscation of assets or other requests and decisions based on instruments giving effect to the principle of mutual recognition – is therefore at the heart of the operational and strategic component of Eurojust's activity.
While the reports and services are intended primarily for the judiciary and other national authorities, they also provide EU institutions and policy makers with important insights.'
Mariana Radu, Chair of the Judicial Cooperation Instruments Team of the College of Eurojust