On 23 January, Ladislav Hamran, President of Eurojust, attended the 1st EuroMed Forum of Prosecutors General, hosted by the Office of the Spanish Prosecutor General, in Madrid.

Among the participants were Prosecutors General, Attorneys General and Directors of Public Prosecution from EU Member States and South Partner Counties, as well as representatives from major European judicial and police authorities. The EuroMed Forum sought to bring together these actors with a view to enhancing coordination and consultation among them in the field of criminal justice within the Euro-Mediterranean region.

The participants reflected on the effectiveness of current operational strategies and policies against cross-border criminal activities. Also discussed was the strengthening of cross-regional judicial cooperation within the Euro-Mediterranean Region, while prioritising the rule of law and respect for human rights in accordance to international standards of protection. Mr. Hamran's intervention emphasized the role of Eurojust in assisting national judicial authorities in the fight against organised crime, terrorism, migrant smuggling and cybercrime, while underlining the importance of trust and partnership.

The participating countries endorsed a Roadmap and a Common Declaration for the establishment of a consultative EuroMed Forum of Prosecutors General, one of the objectives of which is to promote mutual trust.

Background:

EuroMed Justice IV project
EuroMed Justice IV is a European Union-funded project with a regional scope, covering the European Neighbourhood South Partner Countries (SPCs): People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, the Arab Republic of Egypt, Israel, the Kingdom of Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, the Kingdom of Morocco, the Palestinian Authority and the Republic of Tunisia. The EuroMed Justice project's objective is to contribute to the development of a Euro-Mediterranean, cross-regional mechanism of judicial and law enforcement cooperation. For more information, visit: www.euromed-justice.eu.