The Hague,
Eurojust Annual Report 2008 published
Today, the seventh Eurojust Annual Report was presented to the public, informing them of Eurojusts activities in 2008.
On 4 June, the same day as the publication of the new Eurojust Decision in the Official Journal, the Council, at its JHA meeting, adopted its extremely positive conclusions to the seventh Eurojust Annual Report, for calendar year 2008.
“”Eurojust is very enthusiastic about the progress made, and began at the end of 2008 preparatory work on implementing the new Eurojust Decision.””
According to Article 32 of the Council Decision of 28 February 2002, “”the College shall prepare an annual report on the activities of Eurojust and on any criminal policy problems within the Union highlighted as a result of Eurojusts activities. In that report, Eurojust may also make proposals for the improvement of judicial
cooperation in criminal matters.””
Amongst the highlights in this report, the number of cases referred to the College of Eurojust increased by 10% compared to 2007, reaching in total 1 193 cases. Eurojust registered 50 different types of criminal activities in 2008. In general, referrals of all types of criminal activities increased. Drug trafficking and crime against property or public goods including fraud cases still represent the highest percentage of criminal activities referred to Eurojust.
The Council noted that most of the objectives set out in the AR2007 had been achieved or were in the process of being accomplished, in particular regarding the improvement of “”organisational and operational capacities and stimulating coordination between the competent national authorities, third States and other European Union bodies, particularly
Europol and OLAF””.
In 20 further points, the JHA Council, among other things, repeatedly stressed the need for Member States to become more involved in casework at Eurojust, to use Eurojust more frequently, and to provide Eurojust with high-quality, up-to-date information at an early stage to enhance its effectiveness. The Council encouraged Eurojust to further develop its casework evaluation and classification tools, focus more on complex cases, improve the Case Management System and fully exploit its database.
The Council praised the secure e-mail system, the secure information exchange with Europol, the videoconferencing facilities and the increased use of the Schengen Information System. Other pluses are the enhancement of relations with third States and the signing of agreements with third States and international organisations, notably IberRed, fYROM and Switzerland, the signing of the practical agreement with OLAF, involvement of the contact point for child protection, and the hosting of Genocide Network meetings.
The Council recommended an increase in the use of Eurojusts powers under Article 7, more support to the creation and operation of Joint
Investigation Teams, and enhanced cooperation with the European Judicial Network (especially the establishment of the Eurojust National Coordination System).
With regard to the New Eurojust Decision, the Council endorsed a more active approach to coordinating investigations and prosecutions, urged Eurojust to adjust its internal structures to new requirements, and praised the work of the Informal Working Group on the Implementation of the New Eurojust Decision.
The President of Eurojust, Mr Jose Luis Lopes da Mota, expressed his satisfaction with the successful year: “”Much work has been done. Much more is still to be done to enable Eurojust to perform its tasks more effectively, to make use of unexploited potential and in particular to adopt a more active approach to assisting national authorities in their activities against crossborder crime. Eurojust has further developed its relations with national authorities and third States and has enhanced its cooperation with other European Union bodies, particularly Europol and OLAF.
Eurojust is very enthusiastic about the progress made, and began at the end of 2008 preparatory work on implementing the new Eurojust Decision.””
The production of the Annual Report 2008 in all other official languages of the EU is ongoing, and all versions will be published on our website in the near future. For a downloadable copy in English, please consult this link on the Eurojust website:
http://www.eurojust.europa.eu/press_annual_report_2008.htm
For more information:Mr Joannes Thuy,
Press Officer & Spokesperson EUROJUST
Maanweg 174,
2516 AB The Hague
Tel +31 70 412 5508
www.eurojust.europa.eu
