Eurojust
The European Union’s
Judicial Cooperation Unit
STRENGTHENING EUROJUST AND
CREATING SYNERGIES WITH A
EUROPEAN PUBLIC PROSECUTOR’S
OFFICE
Michèle Coninsx
President EUROJUST
National Member for Belgium
The Dutch House of Representatives
The Hague, 05 February 2014
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Eurojust
28 EU PROSECUTORS/JUDGES
More effective
Coordination
& Cooperation
The Dutch House of Representatives
The Hague, 05 February 2014
Casework 2009-2013
1533
1372
1441
1424
1349
1332
1576
1303
1148
937
639
385
39
2009
74
138
2010
2011
Ongoing in 2013
2012
Closed
Total
2013
Requesting/Requested Member States 2013
Requesting Requested
Requesting/ Requested
41/44
40/40
72/63
41/48
42/57
38/43
36/52
25/45
42/188
97/186
53/123
90/101
53/222
76/71
24/77
94/99
80/172
67/86
65/121
101/194
70/63
89/71
59/237
33/64
91/44
27/33
9/33
17/76
BE
53
123
BG
70
63
CZ
76
71
DK
42
57
DE
53
222
EE
40
40
IE
25
45
EL
33
64
ES
59
237
FR
80
172
IT
101
194
CY
17
76
LV
41
48
LT
38
43
LU
36
52
HR
9
33
HU
67
86
MT
27
33
NL
42
188
AT
94
99
PL
90
101
PT
89
71
RO
65
121
SI
91
44
SK
24
77
FI
41
44
SE
72
63
UK
97
186
Priority crime types 2013
Swindling and fraud
23%
Non priority crimes
29%
(Mobile) Organised
crime
13%
Priority crimes
71%
Drug trafficking
12%
Money-laundering
10%
Illegal Immigration &
THB 5%
Other priority crimes
8%
Crime types
N cases
Other priority crimes
N cases
Non priority crimes
590 Corruption
56
Swindling and fraud
472 Cybercrime
29
(Mobile) Organised crime
264 Forgery of money and means of payment
29
Drug trafficking
248 Terrorism
17
Money-laundering
202 Criminal offences affecting the EU's financial interests
15
Illegal Immigration & THB
110 Cigarette smuggling
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Eurojust &Joint Investigation Teams
JIT: set up on the basis of a written agreement between two or
more Member States and / or other parties, including third
States, for a specific purpose and limited duration.
Added value: overcomes traditional forms of international
police and judicial cooperation, such as parallel investigations
and the exchange of Letters of Request & facilitates the direct
exchange of information and simplifies cooperation,
communication and coordination.
EUROJUST’s support: JIT agreements, funding, strategic &
legal advise, coordination of operations, JIT Network Secretariat.
The Dutch House of Representatives
The Hague, 05 February 2014
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Eurojust Products
• Terrorism Convictions Monitor
• Contributions to Europol SOCTA & TE-SAT
• Strategic report Enhancing the work of
Eurojust in drug trafficking cases
• Final report and Action Plan 2012-2016
Eurojust’s Action against Trafficking in
Human Beings
• Report Multidisciplinary approach against
organised crime
• External Newsletters: Counter-Terrorism,
THB, Cybercrime, JIT...
The Dutch House of Representatives
The Hague, 05 February 2014
Recent developments
• Adoption of Council Decision on the
strengthening of Eurojust in 2008
• Entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty in 2009
• Common approach of the European Parliament,
the Council of the EU and the European
Commission on decentralised agencies in 2012
• Proposals for Regulations on Eurojust and the
establishment of an European Public
Prosecutor’s Office in July 2013
The Dutch House of Representatives
The Hague, 05 February 2014
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Reforming Eurojust
• Strengthening Eurojust’s governance structure and
enhancing operational capabilities
 Definition of Executive / Supervisory roles while
safeguarding National Members independence in
casework
 Equipment with a more proactive role = ‘on its own
initiative’
• Involving the European Parliament and national
parliaments in the democratic oversight of Eurojust’s
activities
 Annual Report
 Periodic evaluation
The Dutch House of Representatives
The Hague, 05 February 2014
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European Public Prosecutor’s Office
• EPPO with limited scope: crimes adversely
affecting the financial interests of the European
Union
• Institutional, procedural and substantive law
aspects under consideration in negotiation
process
• Package: parallel proposals on Eurojust and the
establishment of an European Public Prosecutor’s
Office
The Dutch House of Representatives
The Hague, 05 February 2014
EPPO as new EU player
• Integrated in existing landscape of police and judicial
cooperation
• Strong link to national authorities: investigation of
PIF cases by European Delegated Prosecutors in the
Member States in accordance with national law and
judicial follow-up by national courts
• Acting together with other EU actors in a coordinated
and complementary way, e.g. Eurojust, Europol, OLAF
 Building on experience, expertise and creating
synergies
The Dutch House of Representatives
The Hague, 05 February 2014
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EPPO alongside Eurojust
• Establishment of the EPPO by enhanced
cooperation: Eurojust will be the necessary
coordinator between the participating and nonparticipating Member States
• Coordination in relation to connected crime
cases: Eurojust is competent to act in other types
of offences committed and will coordinate efforts
of the EPPO and competent national authorities
The Dutch House of Representatives
The Hague, 05 February 2014
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EPPO & Eurojust: ‘special relationship’
• Sharing expertise and experience in judicial cooperation
and coordination that Eurojust has gained over the past
decade, e.g. JITs, EAW, conflicts of jurisdiction, relations
with third States and JHA partners
• Utilising Eurojust’s tools, e.g. coordination meetings,
coordination centres, Case Management System
• Shared services: close ties and infrastructure to generate
economies of scale but without leading to the detriment of
Eurojust
The Dutch House of Representatives
The Hague, 05 February 2014
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What’s next
• Development of both Regulations in parallel as provisions
on ‘special relationship’ need to correspond
• Scenario of establishment of the EPPO by enhanced
cooperation to be taken into consideration
• Outcome of the mutual evaluations in the Member States on
the implementation of the Council Decision on Eurojust
2008 to be taken into account
• Eurojust expectation: this reform will be a step forward
• Eurojust initiatives: Eurojust seminar 14-15 Oct 2013: “The new
draft Regulation on Eurojust: an improvement in the fight against
Cross-Border Crime?”
Report published as Council Document 17188/1/13 REV1 of 4 December 2013
The Dutch House of Representatives
The Hague, 05 February 2014
Contact Information
Michele Coninsx
President
National Member for Belgium
[email protected]
Tel 00 31 70 412 51 20
www.eurojust.europa.eu
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