Dear reader,

Welcome to 2021’s fourth and final quarterly newsletter, in which we look back at the latest developments at Eurojust and link you up with recent reports, press releases and other interesting materials.

Eurojust and the Home Office of the United Kingdom have signed a Working Arrangement to ensure effective judicial cross-border cooperation in criminal matters. The Working Arrangement supports the implementation of Eurojust-related provisions in the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) and outlines the practical and administrative details of the judicial cooperation between the two parties.

The nine European Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) agencies have come together to wrap up the activities of the network in 2021 and present its key achievements. The event also gathered high-level representatives from the European Commission, European Parliament, European External Action Service, the General Secretariat of the Council, as well as the current Slovenian Presidency of the Council and the upcoming French one.

What does the EU action plan against migrant smuggling mean for judicial national authorities and how can Eurojust assist them? This was one of the key questions discussed at Eurojust’s Annual Meeting on Migrant Smuggling in The Hague in November.

Eurojust President Mr Ladislav Hamran and Albanian Prosecutor General Mr Olsian Çela have opened the Office of the Liaison Prosecutor for Albania at the Agency. The opening follows the start of Ms Fatjona Memcaj as the first Albanian Liaison Prosecutor at Eurojust in January 2021.

EU Member States and South Partner Countries have agreed to set up the EuroMed network of contact points to increase cross-border judicial cooperation (EMJNet). The network is based on the existing directory of the EuroMed Justice programme and will start operating on a voluntary basis.

Eurojust has provided rapid support to the Romanian, German and French authorities to dismantle an organised crime group involved in large-scale cargo thefts from lorries parked in motorway rest areas in Germany and France.

Eurojust has supported the Italian and German authorities in dismantling an elaborate fraud scheme involving the trade in energy efficiency certificates. The perpetrators deprived the Italian authorities of at least EUR 27 million in illegally obtained certificates.

Eurojust has supported the Dutch, Belgian and French authorities with the arrests of two suspects of a violent robbery of a trading company in precious metals in Amsterdam North, in the Netherlands, in May 2021.

With judicial support from Eurojust, authorities in France, Germany, Romania and Switzerland have taken action against an organised crime group which was involved in a considerable number of ransomware attacks across Europe.

Police forces across the world have arrested 150 alleged suspects involved in buying or selling illicit goods on the dark web as part of a coordinated international operation involving nine countries. More than EUR 26.7 million in cash and virtual currencies have been seized in this operation.

With support from Eurojust and Europol, authorities in Germany, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Netherlands and Ukraine have taken down a major fraudulent online German investment platform which defrauded victims for at least EUR 15 million.

Eurojust has assisted the Romanian and German authorities in dismantling an organised crime group which was involved in migrant smuggling from Serbia through Romania. During an action day in Romania, 27 suspects were identified and 19 places were searched.

Slovenia has concluded its Presidency of the Council of the European Union with a busy Justice and Home Affairs agenda, during which Eurojust has cooperated very closely with the Slovenian authorities.

The SIRIUS project, a cross-border intelligence-sharing platform co-implemented by Europol and Eurojust, in close partnership with the European Judicial Network, has concluded its fourth annual conference, with more than 800 participants from law enforcement and judicial authorities, plus representatives from the digital technology sector.

'The European Commission's package for Security and Justice in the Digital World brings judicial cooperation to 21st century standards. The Judicial Counter-Terrorism Register will boost cross-border information exchange in ongoing terrorism cases, resulting in better coordination between the EU Member States.'

Prosecutors General of the EU Member States and South Partner Countries have agreed on the first cross-regional Strategic Plan for judicial cooperation. The plan, encompassing six strategic goals for the period 2022-2025, was adopted during the third EuroMed meeting of the Forum of Prosecutors General at Eurojust.

Mr Zacharias Symeou has taken up his duties as the new National Member for Cyprus at Eurojust. Mr Symeou previously worked as a prosecutor at the Law Office of the Republic of Cyprus and has extensive experience in prosecution services and as a lawyer in the private sector.

The new EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Ilkka Salmi has visited Eurojust for the first time since taking up his duties, to discuss ongoing and future cooperation. Mr Salmi was received by President Ladislav Hamran and Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Working Group and National Member for Belgium Hilde Vandevoorde.

For the first time, the new Technical Assistance Facility (TAF) tool of the EuroMed Justice Programme has been used. The French Embassy in Amman, the French Ministry of Justice and the Jordan judicial authorities organised a cross-regional workshop to counter online hate speech.

Eurojust is celebrating its 20th anniversary throughout the year – follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn for regular updates. On these channels you will also receive the latest news about our casework, events and upcoming publications, such as the Report on Victims’ Rights and the Annual Report.