Category: Eurojust

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Building capacity to combat illicit cultural heritage trafficking with the EuroMed Justice Project

Source: Eurojust

The TAF activity, which was organised upon request from Egyptian and Cypriot authorities, brought together 35 participants from Algeria, Belgium, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Libya, Morocco, Palestine*, Switzerland and the United Kingdom to share strategies and best practices in combating the illicit trade. The activity was officially opened and attended by the Ambassador of Cyprus to Egypt, the Deputy Head of the European Delegation in Cairo and high level representatives from Egypt. The Country representatives shared case studies and success stories, highlighting the challenges and triumphs of their efforts to protect cultural heritage.

The illicit trafficking of cultural goods has become a lucrative business for organised crime. It can be used for money laundering, sanctions evasion, and terrorism financing, and comes with a devastating cost. To combat this, the TAF activity facilitated cooperation and knowledge-sharing among stakeholders.

In addition to the sharing of case studies and success stories, the participants also gained insights from presentations delivered by the representative of the Eurojust Anti-Trafficking Team, as well as several international organizations (Council of Europe, UNICRI, and UNODC). Bilateral meetings were also arranged alongside the main activity.

By sharing knowledge and expertise, the gathering has set the stage for enhanced cooperation and collaboration to combat illicit cultural heritage trafficking.

The EuroMed Justice project aims to develop sustainable cooperation mechanisms for cross-border judicial cooperation in criminal matters between Member States of the European Union and the South Partner Countries. It organises TAF activities upon request of participating authorities in order to provide tailored support to activities and actions.

*This designation shall not be construed as recognition of a State of Palestine and is without prejudice to the individual positions of the Member States on this issue.

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Cooperation of joint investigation team into crimes against Ezidi victims in Syria and Iraq leads to first two convictions

Source: Eurojust

With Eurojust’s support, the JIT was set up in October 2021 by the judicial authorities of Sweden and France, with Belgium joining in October 2022 and the Netherlands in June 2023. The main aim of this judicial cooperation is to identify FTFs linked to ISIL (Da’esh) who have returned from Syria or Iraq and were involved in core international crimes, mainly perpetrated against Ezidi victims. Core international crimes are crimes such as genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The Netherlands had its first conviction for crimes against the Ezidi in December 2024. A Dutch citizen was convicted of crimes against humanity for the enslavement of a female Ezidi victim, participation in ISIL (Da’esh), promoting crimes with a terrorist objective and abandoning the victim’s son in a helpless position in a war zone. She was sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment and identified through the work of the JIT.

Recently, a Swedish citizen was sentenced to twelve years imprisonment for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, committed against nine Ezidi victims. Six of the victims were children under the age of seven. The extensive cooperation through the JIT proved to be crucial for this conviction in Sweden.

In 2026, a French citizen might be tried on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity.

Based on the principle of universal jurisdiction, EU Member States can start investigations into core international crimes committed outside their own territory. Such cases are actively supported and coordinated by Eurojust and the Genocide Network Secretariat (GNS), which the Agency hosts.

With the financial and operational support of Eurojust, the JIT partners and investigating judicial authorities from Germany, United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Australia fully intend to continue the investigations into crimes against Ezidi victims committed by ISIL (Da’esh). However, they stress the need to receive adequate information and analytical support.

In view of this, they regret the closure of the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (UNITAD), which ceased its activities in September 2024. With the conclusion of UNITAD’s mandate, information from its database, which is highly relevant to the work of the JIT, has been transferred to the United Nations headquarters. Unfortunately, they have limited capacity to respond to requests for access from national authorities.

Leading Swedish prosecutor and co-founder of the Eurojust-supported JIT, Ms Reena Devgun, stated: Unfortunately, the closure of UNITAD has slowed down the investigations of the joint investigation team. However, all its members hope that the UNITAD archive will be made easily accessible again soon to all practitioners who investigate core international crimes against Ezidi victims. This is of prime importance to continue their work to end impunity for these atrocities.

The work of the JIT is also actively supported by the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism to assist in the investigation and prosecution of persons responsible for the most serious crimes under international law committed in the Syrian Arab Republic (IIIM). Eurojust remains fully at the disposal of the JIT partners to assist with the coordination and support of investigations.

For further information:

Belgium and Netherlands sign up to joint investigation team targeting crimes against Yezidi victims in Syria and Iraq (26 June 2023)

Support to joint investigation team of Sweden and France targeting crimes against Yezidi victims in Syria and Iraq (7 January 2022)

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Arms traffickers arrested in international operation

Source: Eurojust

Cooperation between authorities from France, Slovenia, Spain and Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the support from Eurojust and Europol, has resulted in the dismantling of an arms traffickers group. Actions taking place simultaneously in France, Spain and Bosnia and Herzegovina led to the arrest of seven members of the criminal group.

Investigations into the group started when authorities found a large number of weapons, ammunition and grenades. Further investigations in the group led to suspicions that some members of the group resided in France. Authorities found out that the criminal group trafficked large numbers of weapons that they bought on illegal marketplaces in Bosnia and Herzegovina to smuggle them into France. 

Authorities started to work together through Eurojust to stop the criminal group and arrest its members. Eurojust ensured that European Arrest Warrants and European Investigation Orders were prepared ahead of the coordinated operation. Europol supported the investigation from the outset, delivering operational analysis to the cases in the involved countries, coordinating international cooperation by organising operational meetings, and deploying officers to France and Spain for the action day.

A coordinated operation to take down the group started on 18 March. The cooperation between authorities led to the arrest of seven members of the criminal group, four in France, one in Spain and two in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Searches were carried out in Spain and Bosnia and Herzegovina to collect information and evidence on the group’s activities. Bosnian authorities are actively searching for the main target. 

The following authorities carried out the operations:

  • France: JIRS Paris (Interregional Specialised Jurisdiction); OCLCO (National Police Office against organised crime)
  • Slovenia: District State Prosecutor’s Office in Kranj; Police Directorate Kranj
  • Spain: PPO Audiencia Nacional; Central Investigating Court num 5 at Audiencia Nacional; Guardia Civil
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina: The Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Ministry of Interior Affaires – Republic of Srpska (part of the investigation before the operation) 
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Eurojust and Egypt step up judicial cooperation with new Working Arrangement

Source: Eurojust

As organised crime travels across borders, so must judicial cooperation. As a facilitator of cross-border judicial cooperation, Eurojust not only ensures that authorities from EU Member States can work together efficiently to investigate serious cross-border crimes, but also facilitates cooperation with countries outside the EU. Through various cooperation agreements, Eurojust brings partner countries and Member States closer together. The Working Arrangement signed with Egypt will strengthen cooperation with the country in the fight against serious organised crime. 

Eurojust President Mr Michael Schmid commented on the new Working Arrangement: It is a great pleasure for Eurojust to welcome Prosecutor General Mohamed Shawky to Eurojust today and to conclude a Working Arrangement with the Public Prosecution Office of the Arab Republic of Egypt. Both our sides share many challenges in fighting organised crime, and we are keen on stepping up our joint response. While it does not allow for the exchange of personal data, the Working Arrangement we are signing today is a clear expression of our commitment to grow closer together as judicial professionals so that justice can be done across borders.

Cooperation with Egyptian authorities is already ongoing through Eurojust’s Contact Points. Contact Points make it easier for national authorities to liaise with Member States. Egyptian authorities have already been involved in cross-border investigations at Eurojust. They are also part of the EuroMed Justice, an EU-funded project implemented by Eurojust to strengthen strategic and operational cooperation in judicial criminal matters with the EU and partners in the Southern Neighbourhood. 

The Working Arrangement was signed during a visit by Prosecutor General Mr Mohamed Shawky to Eurojust in The Hague. The Prosecutor General said: We emphasise that cooperation with Eurojust offers distinct and promising opportunities to support criminal justice. For example by exchanging information and expertise between the Egyptian Public Prosecution and its counterparts in European countries, strengthening mechanisms for international judicial cooperation to ensure prompt and effective justice and developing the technical skills of public prosecutors.

In the same week, EuroMed Justice organised a workshop in Cairo on the protection of cultural heritage. Over 40 judges, prosecutors and experts from 14 countries from Europe and the MENA region met to exchange best practices and explore potential avenues for international judicial cooperation in combating the illicit trafficking of cultural heritage.

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Illegal money mule network grinds to a halt with Eurojust support

Source: Eurojust

By sending fake emails from legitimate enterprises, the scammers managed to defraud both individual customers and entire companies. This was mainly done by sending them genuine-looking emails with falsified invoiced that led the victims to pay into the perpetrators’ accounts. Currently there are 113 victims identified from several European countries, in particular from the United Kingdom.

To launder the profits of this fraudulent scheme, the Romanian-based criminal group recruited hundreds of money mules. The recruits were sent to the United Kingdom to open bank accounts and further launder money by transferring the proceeds of the online fraud to the newly opened accounts. Some of the proceeds were also laundered remotely from Romania through the use of UK SIM cards, VPN connections and forged UK residence documents.

From the UK accounts, the illegal proceeds were transferred to accounts in other countries or used for fake payments to UK companies. The money was also used to buy jewellery and other luxury items.

Romanian authorities began investigating the criminal group in 2020, after noticing the online fraud, which dated back to 2018. Given the criminals’ connection to the United Kingdom, collaboration with the UK authorities was necessary.

Through Eurojust, a cross-border investigation was initiated and a joint investigation team was set up. By organising coordination meetings with the authorities and providing financial support, Eurojust ensured that the cross-border investigation progressed smoothly. Europol provided extensive analytical, organisational and financial support in hosting several operational meetings at Europol’s headquarters. Experts from the European Financial and Economic Crime Centre (EFECC) also facilitated the exchange of information and participated in the JIT at Eurojust.

The Romanian, British and French authorities, together with Eurojust and Europol, started planning the action day to take down the criminal group. The action day took place on 9 April. Authorities took preventative measures against 13 suspects, searched 31 places and took freezing measures on several properties in Romania. In the United Kingdom, seven suspects were arrested and five houses were searched. The investigation into the criminal group continues. On the action day, a Europol analyst was deployed on the spot in Romania to provide forensic and analytical support.

The actions were carried out at the request of and by the following authorities:

  • Romania: Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice; Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism; Buzau Territorial Service; Police Service of Combating Organised Crime Buzau
  • France: Regional Financial Crime Unit Court of Nanterre – Gendarmerie Nationale (SR Pau)
  • United Kingdom: Crown Prosecution Service; National Crime Agency
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Western Balkan investigators and prosecutors gather in Warsaw to discuss crypto-assets and e-evidence challenges

Source: Eurojust

Warsaw, 8–9 April 2025

09 April 2025|

As digital technologies reshape the landscape of crime, staying ahead of emerging threats is more critical than ever. In response to these challenges, the Western Balkans Criminal Justice (WBCJ) Project organised together with the European Judicial Cybercrime Network (EJCN), the SIRIUS Project, and the CyberSEE Project a two-day seminar on investigations involving crypto-assets and e-evidence, which took place in the National Prosecutor’s Office of Poland on 8-9 April 2025 under the auspices of the Polish Presidency.

The event brought together prosecutors and investigators from the Western Balkans to share their experiences, discuss challenges, and strengthen overall cooperation in the fight against cybercrime. Additionally, the participants were able to benefit from the experiences of EU prosecutors specialised in this matter.

Sessions included a wide range of topics such as tracing and seizing crypto-assets, discussions on how crypto-assets are utilised in online fraud and money laundering, as well as the cooperation with crypto-asset service providers.

Through this workshop, the WBCJ Project was able to promote among Western Balkan law enforcement and judicial authorities the EJCN Guides on Crypto-Currencies and the tools available for them on the platform developed by the SIRIUS Project.

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Eurojust hosts Victims’ Rights Symposium under the auspices of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union

Source: Eurojust

Over 70 judicial practitioners coming from 28 countries gathered at Eurojust for the second symposium on victims’ rights. The event brought together practitioners and representatives from national and EU bodies over two days to exchange best practices and discuss the challenges associated to victims’ rights in cross-border cases. Focussed discussions on victims of trafficking in human beings, terrorism, migrant smuggling and online investment frauds allowed for the identification of specific challenges and best practices to overcome them.

Without a proper identification of victims, their rights to information, support and compensation are significantly undermined. Eurojust set up its Victims’ Rights Working Group to bring together the Agency’s expertise in this field. Eurojust is uniquely positioned to facilitate information exchange on victims and help prevent and solve conflicts of jurisdiction while finding concrete solutions for victims across the European Union, such as ensuring their right to compensation.

In this year’s edition, practitioners shared their experience in relation to securing the identification and the buy-in of key victims to build solid investigations. They also acknowledged that victims of cyber-enabled crimes are specifically hard to identify due to the complexity of such cases which typically involve multiple jurisdictions. Techniques to minimise the risk of secondary victimisation were also presented by support services along with testimonials of victims. Minimising the risk of crime under-reporting was emphasised by proactively supporting victims, facilitating their reporting and ease of access is pivotal, through for example designated portals.

Best practices to incentivise victims to come forward, report crimes and contribute to prosecutions and investigations were presented. The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) and the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), and representatives of the European Commission contributed towards how the identification of victims can be fostered at an EU level, ensuring victims’ fundamental right to access justice. Finally, a joint report recently published by the EIGE and Eurojust on the European Protection Order was presented. The European Protection Order is a unique judicial cooperation instrument aimed at ensuring cross-border protection of victims in the EU.

The Victims’ Rights Symposium reinforces Eurojust’s commitment to enshrine victims’ rights in its operational and strategic work. Eurojust plans to complement this year’s edition with a Symposium dedicated to procedural rights of victims in 2026 and the right to compensation of victims in 2027.

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Investigators roll up mafia-style organisation in Italy and Germany

Source: Eurojust

An extensive five-year investigation into an ‘Ndrangheta mafia-style organisation active in Germany and Italy has led to the arrest of 29 suspects during a joint operation by Italian and German authorities, supported by Eurojust. The mafia-style group was responsible for a number of crimes in the Stuttgart area, and Calabria and Emilia-Romagna, including fraudulent trade in food products, attempted manslaughter, drug trafficking, tax evasion and money laundering.

The joint operation was coordinated from the Eurojust premises in The Hague. Authorities worked together to carry out around 40 searches in Germany and Italy. Ten of the suspects were arrested in Germany and 19 in Italy. Among those arrested in Germany is a police officer, who is suspected of supporting the criminal organisation.

During the joint actions in both countries, carried out today, over 350 law enforcement officers were deployed. German officers were involved in the operations on the ground in Italy and vice versa.

To carry out the investigation, a joint investigation team (JIT) was set up via Eurojust, which assisted the rapid and efficient collaboration between the authorities involved. The authorities worked together to investigate a number of crimes linked to the ‘Ndrangheta-related organisation, agreeing on a coordinated prosecution strategy.

The organised crime group (OCG) is suspected to have carried out several crimes throughout Italy and Germany, but mostly around the Stuttgart area. The crimes they are being investigated for include the formation and support of a foreign criminal organisation, arson, disclosure of confidential information, drug trafficking, money laundering and attempted manslaughter.

Specific investigations especially brought to light an elaborate fraud with high-value food products, such as expensive cheeses and olive oil, as well as kitchen equipment for pizza production. These products were ordered via a fake company, which didn’t pay any invoices, and the goods were later sold on via another enterprise to Italian restaurants in and around Stuttgart, who were put under pressure by the OCG to buy the products from them.

The following authorities carried out the operations:

  • Italy: Public Prosecutor’s Office of Catanzaro – District Anti-Mafia Directorate: Investigative Section of the Central Operational Service (SISCO) of Catanzaro and Mobile Squad of Police Headquarters of Catanzaro, with the coordination of the Central Operational Service of the Central Anti-Crime Directorate of the State Police, supported in the executive phase by Mobile Squads of Cosenza, Modena, Parma, Ferrara and Grosseto and SISCO of Bologna and Florence, from the Crime Prevention Departments ‘Northern – Southern and Central Calabria’, including anti-drug dog units
  • Germany: Public Prosecutor’s Office Stuttgart; Aalen Police Headquarters; Waiblingen Criminal Investigation Department
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Trafficking of Human beings and Migrant Smuggling in focus at the 5th EMJNet meeting

Source: Eurojust

Twenty-nine criminal justice representatives from six South Partner Countries (SPCs) and eleven European Union Member States gathered to share knowledge and exchange best practices on international judicial cooperation related to tackling Trafficking in Human beings.

The Chair of the Eurojust Anti-Trafficking Team and the Chair of the Migrant Smuggling Subgroup presented key international and European recommendations, standards, best practices, and challenges related to these issues. Representatives from the European Judicial Network (EJN) also participated actively in the meeting. On the second day, participants from the South Partner Countries shared relevant cross-border cases and their outcomes, sparking engaging discussions among the attendees.

Mid-March, the EMJNet Directory was made available online for its contact points on the EuroMed Justice Website. The 5th EMJNet meeting gave the participants the opportunity to give feedback on its use and report cooperation. 

Over both days, the objectives of EMJNet were reintroduced by the EMJ project team.  EMJNet, the cross-Mediterranean network of criminal justice practitioners aims to strengthen the contacts and the operational cooperation between criminal justice authorities from SPCs and EU Member States. EMJNet acts as the operational network of the EMJ Project and is composed of contact points who are active intermediaries facilitating judicial cooperation in criminal matters.

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Trafficking of human beings in focus at the 5th EMJNet meeting

Source: Eurojust

Twenty-nine criminal justice representatives from six South Partner Countries (SPCs) and nine European Union Member States gathered to share knowledge and exchange best practices on international judicial cooperation related to tackling trafficking in human beings.

The chair of the Eurojust Anti-Trafficking Team and the chair of the Migrant Smuggling Subgroup presented key international and European recommendations, standards, best practices, and challenges related to these issues. On the second day, participants from the South Partner Countries shared relevant cross-border cases and their outcomes, sparking engaging discussions among the attendees. The meeting was also attended representatives from the European Judicial Network (EJN).

Mid-March, the EMJNet Directory was made available online for its contact points on the EuroMed Justice Website. The 5th EMJNet meeting gave participants the opportunity to give feedback on its use and report examples of cooperation.

Over both days, the objectives of EMJNet were reintroduced by the EMJ project team. EMJNet, the cross-Mediterranean network of criminal justice practitioners aims to strengthen the contacts and the operational cooperation between criminal justice authorities from SPCs and EU Member States. EMJNet acts as the operational network of the EMJ Project and is composed of contact points who are active intermediaries facilitating judicial cooperation in criminal matters.