EU lawmakers reach political agreement on a new Regulation for Eurojust

The new EU law enforcement landscape takes shape

Today, lawmakers in Brussels took an important step towards improving Eurojust’s role in serving justice across borders for a safer Europe. They reached a provisional agreement on a new legal framework for Eurojust that will enhance the Agency’s operational capabilities and strengthen the cooperation with prosecution authorities of the Member States and partners in the area of Justice and Home Affairs cooperation, such as FRONTEX and Europol, in the fight against serious organised crime and terrorism.

Mr Ladislav Hamran, President of Eurojust, said: ‘I congratulate the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council, the European Parliament and the Commission on the successful political agreement they have reached today on the new Eurojust Regulation. The new Regulation will make Eurojust fit for the future and increases Eurojust’s capabilities to support the national authorities in their fight against serious cross-border crime. The new landscape of law enforcement on EU level takes shape. With the new legal frameworks for Europol, the EPPO and now for Eurojust, the European Union steps up its pace to fight crime that is not limited by borders and takes yet another step in making the EU a safer place for our citizens. I hope that Member States will implement the new Regulation quickly.’

The new Regulation sets the objective to increase information exchange between Eurojust and Member States while ensuring an adequate level of data protection. It also brings governance reforms, including the creation of a new Executive Board, which will further improve Eurojust’s efficiency and management structure. Democratic oversight will be guaranteed through regular reporting to the European Parliament and national parliaments. The Regulation also establishes institutional, operational and administrative relations with the new European Public Prosecutor’s Office to ensure complementarity and synergies.

Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, Věra Jourová, also welcomed the agreement and stressed the importance of the agreement and the role of Eurojust: ‘Every year, Eurojust helps facilitate cooperation between national authorities in their investigations and prosecutions. In 2017 alone, Eurojust delivered concrete support in 4 500 investigations in all Member States and in cases which matter most to our citizens: terrorism, illegal migration and cybercrime, to name just a few.’

The provisional agreement reached today must now be formally approved by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU. Following approval, the Regulation will be published in the EU’s Official Journal and enter into force 20 days later.