24 May 2018

Today, Eurojust welcomed the Dutch Minister of Justice and Security, Ferd Grapperhaus, and the European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, Ms Vera Jourová, for the final step in the inauguration of Eurojust’s new state of the art premises in the international zone in The Hague. The Minister and Commissioner were invited to unveil a statue in front of the building, offered to Eurojust by the Dutch government and created by Mr Fernando Sánchez Castillo.

The new Eurojust headquarters is a unique purpose-built facility, constructed and owned by the Dutch State and rented to Eurojust. The building can accommodate up to 400 employees and has been tailored to Eurojust’s mission to develop and enhance judicial cooperation, coordination and mutual trust in the European Union’s fight against serious organised cross-border crime.

‘This new building is the community of thousands of national prosecutors and law enforcement officials around the EU who – every day, everywhere in Europe – work hard to fight all forms of criminality, and call on Eurojust for support and guidance’, said Ladislav Hamran, the President of Eurojust. ‘And they all did so with one common goal: to ensure that justice and security are brought to Europe’s citizens.’

Mr Hamran went on to thank Minister Grapperhaus for the unwavering support of the Dutch government in creating an optimal work environment for more than 8 000 legal practitioners who visited Eurojust’s premises last year to look for answers, best practice and inspiration in the field of judicial cooperation. ‘Looking ahead to the many challenges to justice and security that the future is presenting us with, we know that our new headquarters offers a solid base from which we can deliver the quality of support that Member States and other stakeholders rightfully expect from us.’

Minister Grapperhaus said:  ‘The Netherlands is convinced that Eurojust is now perfectly equipped to fulfil its crucial role in the field of judicial cooperation within the EU for a long time to come. I would like to wish Eurojust and all those who work here the best of luck in exercising that role. The Netherlands remains keen to continue to support Eurojust to maintain its self-standing, complementary role next to the other JHA agencies and that it has adequate resources to do its important work.’

Commissioner Jourová said: ‘Eurojust plays a key role in the area of freedom security and justice. The increasing workload shows the clear added value of Eurojust, especially in cases which matter most to our citizens: terrorism, illegal migration and cybercrime, to name just a few. Eurojust can rely on the Commission’s support in its mission. I would like to warmly thank the President, Ladislav Hamran, the Vice Presidents and the President’s team for all the work undertaken in the last year to reform, streamline and revise the organisational structure of Eurojust to a solid, efficient and sustainable organisation that can thrive in its new premises.’

Photos © Eurojust

Background:
Eurojust is the European Union’s Judicial Cooperation Unit, established in 2002 to stimulate and improve the coordination of investigations and prosecutions and the cooperation between the competent authorities of the Member States in relation to serious cross-border crime, particularly when it is organised. The main crime types dealt with by Eurojust are fraud, drug trafficking and money laundering. Eurojust has also stepped up its activities in fighting terrorism (87 cases in 2017, including the attacks in Berlin, Paris and Brussels), cybercrime, migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings. In 2017, Eurojust handled 4 125 cases, including 2 698 new cases, an increase of more than 10 per cent compared to the previous year.

More information:
– Eurojust Annual report 2017
– Questions and answers on Eurojust

Infographics:
– Eurojust at work in 2017
– Eurojust coordinated operations in 2017
– 24 hour murder case (2017)
– Operation Santa Lucia (2017)
– European Investigation Order

On 24 May 2018, the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council and the European Parliament reached an informal agreement on a draft regulation on the European agency for the operational management of large-scale IT systems in the area of freedom, security and justice (eu-LISA).

The EU has been working to improve migration management as well as its capacity to detect those who may pose a security risk to the EU through the update and creation of several information sharing databases. Strengthening the mandate of EU LISA, the agency managing these systems, will help them improve their operation and make the best use of the tools available

Valentin Radev, Bulgarian minister of interior

This regulation will further develop the agency’s capacity to contribute to border management, law-enforcement cooperation and migration management in the EU. The agency will also have a vital role in implementing new IT architecture in the area of Justice and Home Affairs (JHA).

The draft regulation will strengthen the mandate of eu-LISA and will entrust the agency with:

• developing and operating new systems, such as the recently adopted entry-exit system and the European travel information and authorisation system (ETIAS)
• contributing to the development of technical solutions to achieve interoperability, subject to a legislative instrument on interoperability currently under discussion
• providing support to member states at their request, for example ad-hoc support to deal with migratory challenges, and assistance for creating common solutions for the implementation of their obligations stemming from EU legislation on decentralized systems in the area of JHA
• a greater role in research, pilot projects and testing activities

Next steps

The informal agreement will now be presented to EU ambassadors for confirmation on behalf of the Council. Following this, the regulation will be submitted to the European Parliament for a vote at first reading, and subsequently to the Council for adoption.

Background

eu-LISA was established in 2011 and currently manages systems including the visa information system (VIS) and the Schengen information system (SIS) and EURODAC.

Following an evaluation of the agency, as well as recent developments in the fields of migration and security, the European Commission presented on 29 June 2017 a proposal for a new legal mandate for eu-LISA so that it can better meet current and future challenges in the area of freedom security and justice.

Download as pdf

23 May 2018

​The Spanish Central Investigating Court of the Audiencia Nacional and the Romanian Directorate for Investigation of Organised Crime, Central Office and Terrorism (DIICOT), as well as the Romanian Police, initiated separate investigations into an organised crime group (OCG), composed mainly of Romanian nationals. The OCG, which targeted a multitude of victims worldwide, including public and private entities, as well as individuals, is suspected of having committed the crimes of fraud, forgery of documents, money laundering and involvement in an OCG. Following simultaneous house searches in both Member States, thirty-three suspects were detained in Spain (fourteen were arrested in Spain on the action day) and five people were arrested in Romania on the basis of Spanish European Arrest Warrants (EAWs).

​Once more, Eurojust’s contribution was indispensable to the successful outcome of the operation, providing all the necessary judicial cooperation tools as well as its operational support in a timely and effective manner. On the initiative of the Spanish Desk at Eurojust, a case was opened in February 2018, and, in April 2018, a coordination meeting was held at Eurojust with the national authorities involved to coordinate the investigations in the Member States — as the OCG members were constantly commuting among several countries — exchange case-related information and agree on a way forward. Subsequently, Eurojust, via the concerned National Desks, facilitated the national authorities’ investigations through the execution of EAWs and Letters of Request. Two action days took place, in Spain on 23 April, and in Romania on 26 April. Europol deployed mobile offices in both Member States.

The OCG has been active since 2016. Its members opened numerous bank accounts in various Member States using forged identity documents. Through those accounts, and via websites such as Amazon and Airbnb, the perpetrators defrauded an amount estimated at more than EUR 8 million by deceiving them into buying counterfeit products or services, such as fake holiday packages.

Background:

23 May 2018

​The Spanish Central Investigating Court of the Audiencia Nacional and the Romanian Directorate for Investigation of Organised Crime, Central Office and Terrorism (DIICOT), as well as the Romanian Police, initiated separate investigations into an organised crime group (OCG), composed mainly of Romanian nationals. The OCG, which targeted a multitude of victims worldwide, including public and private entities, as well as individuals, is suspected of having committed the crimes of fraud, forgery of documents, money laundering and involvement in an OCG. Following simultaneous house searches in both Member States, thirty-three suspects were detained in Spain (fourteen were arrested in Spain on the action day) and five people were arrested in Romania on the basis of Spanish European Arrest Warrants (EAWs).

​Once more, Eurojust’s contribution was indispensable to the successful outcome of the operation, providing all the necessary judicial cooperation tools as well as its operational support in a timely and effective manner. On the initiative of the Spanish Desk at Eurojust, a case was opened in February 2018, and, in April 2018, a coordination meeting was held at Eurojust with the national authorities involved to coordinate the investigations in the Member States — as the OCG members were constantly commuting among several countries — exchange case-related information and agree on a way forward. Subsequently, Eurojust, via the concerned National Desks, facilitated the national authorities’ investigations through the execution of EAWs and Letters of Request. Two action days took place, in Spain on 23 April, and in Romania on 26 April. Europol deployed mobile offices in both Member States.

The OCG has been active since 2016. Its members opened numerous bank accounts in various Member States using forged identity documents. Through those accounts, and via websites such as Amazon and Airbnb, the perpetrators defrauded an amount estimated at more than EUR 8 million by deceiving them into buying counterfeit products or services, such as fake holiday packages.

Background: