During the visit, Eurojust President Michael Schmid and Commissioner Brunner discussed the threat of organised crime to European citizens. As organised crime becomes more professional and more global, authorities need to keep up and work together. Eurojust provides hands-on support to prosecutors to collaborate on cross-border investigations. In 2024, nearly 13 000 criminal investigations received support from Eurojust, leading to the freezing of more than EUR 1 billion in assets and over 1 000 arrests.
Eurojust President Michael Schmid and Commissioner Magnus Brunner
Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, commented following his visit: Without judiciary follow up, police work cannot be effective in the long-term. This is something we will address in the Internal Security Strategy I will present soon.
Besides day-to-day support to criminal investigations, Eurojust also ensures that prosecutors and judges work together strategically on common threats and challenges. Mr Schmid presented two Eurojust networks, the European Judicial Organised Crime Network (EJOCN) and the European Judicial Cybercrime Network (EJCN). These networks ensure that specialised prosecutors connect, exchange expertise and cooperate.
After the visit Eurojust President, Michael Schmid, said: As we prepare for the new EU Internal Security Strategy, I am delighted to highlight together with Commissioner Brunner the judicial dimension of cross-border security cooperation, alongside the vital work of police forces. It is crucial to not only temporarily disrupt the work of organised crime networks, but to also ensure that criminals are brought to justice. In 2024 alone, Eurojust supported nearly 13 000 ongoing investigations across Europe. I am grateful for the opportunity to discuss the path forward with Commissioner Brunner and welcome his leadership in strengthening the EU’s internal security.
The visit of Commissioner Brunner concluded with a discussion on criminal justice collaboration outside of the European Union. As criminal networks create stronger ties globally, prosecutors need to be able to work quickly and efficiently and without hurdles with their colleagues around the globe. Eurojust is building a strong network of partners around the world. A network of over 70 Contact Points and a growing number of Liaison Prosecutors stationed in The Hague ensure that cross-border investigations happen easily and with trust between prosecutors.
Commenting on her start at Eurojust, Ms Troldborg stated: I’m convinced that Eurojust is the most effective existing platform for international judicial cooperation in criminal matters. For this reason, I am enthusiastic about joining the Agency and participating in the fight against serious cross-border crime. Through good and elaborate cooperation, we can make Europe a safer place for our citizens.
The new Representative* for Denmark is an experienced prosecutor who has dedicated most of her career to criminal law. As Head of International Affairs at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, she has been involved in various criminal cases requiring international collaboration. Furthermore, she has represented Denmark in international negotiations on legal instruments and participated in cross-border judicial networks.
In 1991, Ms Troldborg obtained a Master in Law at the University of Copenhagen and started to work at the Ministry of Justice. At the same time, she was a part-time prosecutor with the Copenhagen Police. In 1993, she became Assistant Secretary to the Minister of Justice.
From 1995 to 1996, she studied at the National School of Administration (École Nationale d’Administration) in France. In 1997, she rejoined the Ministry of Justice, where she served in the International Office from 1998 until 2004. At the same time, she also worked as a part-time public prosecutor with the State Prosecutor of Copenhagen and later as a part-time judge in the Court of Køge.
From 2004 to 2010, she worked as Assistant Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions in Denmark. From 2010 to 2013, Ms Troldborg was an acting judge at the Eastern High Court, Copenhagen City Court and Næstved Court. In 2013, she returned as Assistant Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions and as Head of International Affairs. Apart from Danish and English, Ms Troldborg speaks French and understands Swedish and Norwegian.
* Following the implementation of the Eurojust Regulation in December 2019, Denmark has a Representative at the Agency instead of a National Member.
The visit to the Eurojust headquarters in The Hague is part of a mission from the Latin American Internal Security Committee to the European Union institutions (CLASI). The committee brings together policymakers from 12 Latin American countries to fight serious organised crime together. The committee regularly meets with EU ministers to enhance law enforcement cooperation and tackle internal security threats posed by global organised criminal networks.
The representatives, including ministers from Brazil, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Panama and Peru, were welcomed by Eurojust Vice-President, José de la Mata, who presented the unique position Eurojust has as a key player in global criminal justice cooperation. The Agency provides hands-on support to prosecutors in Europe and beyond during their cross-border investigations. Eurojust Vice-President, José de la Mata, commented: We are honoured to welcome the CLASI ministerial delegation, recognising the critical role Latin America plays in the fight against organised crime. A key focus of our cooperation is tackling drug trafficking, one of the most lucrative criminal activities that causes immense harm to societies in both Europe and Latin America. To address this challenge, our response must be effective and collaborative. This visit marks a key step towards even stronger cooperation in the future.
To fight the increasing threat of criminal activities globally, Eurojust has stepped up its cooperation with Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama and Peru. In 2024, the Agency signed working arrangements with the six countries to make strategic cooperation between these authorities and Eurojust more effective. The working arrangements strengthen cooperation in crime areas that affect both the EU and Latin American countries, such as drug and arms trafficking, money laundering and cybercrime.
The visit of the ministers was organised by the international cooperation programme, EL PacCto, the EU programme aimed to strengthen EU and Latin American partnership in the field of justice and security.
Commenting on his return to Eurojust, Mr Zeman stated: I’m very pleased to come back to Eurojust as it is a unique and necessary institution. I see three goals I want to contribute to: the continuation of effective support to practitioners, the development of Eurojust and the creation of a good working environment. To achieve that, we need perfect cooperation between the National Desks and the administration. Everybody must bear in mind that Eurojust is only successful if our clients – the practitioners – are satisfied with our support. And I want Eurojust to succeed.
The new National Member for the Czech Republic graduated in Law at the Charles University of Prague in 1998 and became a public prosecutor in 2001. Mr Zeman specialised in cross-border judicial cooperation in criminal matters and later joined the Prosecutor General’s Office. With the entry of the Czech Republic into the European Union, he became the country’s first National Member at Eurojust.
Mr Zeman was appointed Prosecutor General in 2011, holding this position until 2021. Subsequently, he became a specialised prosecutor in cybercrime, the criminal liability of legal entities and war crimes. He lectures on cybercrime, corporate liability, plea bargaining, judicial ethics and war crimes. He also provides training to prosecutors on media-related matters.
Mr Zeman left the prosecution service in 2024 to lead the Internal Audit Department of the Czech National Bank. Early this year, he returned to the Prosecutor General’s Office, and as of 1 March was appointed Czech National Member at Eurojust. He remains affiliated with Prague Charles University as well as a lecturer at the Czech and Slovak judicial academies. In addition to his mother tongue, Mr Zeman speaks English, German, French, Slovak and Russian.
Eurojust coordinated the collaboration between French and Belgian authorities that led to the arrest of 12 gang members on 26 February. The criminals are suspected of attempting to rob cash transports for banks. Due to the swift cooperation between the authorities, the criminals were stopped before committing a robbery.
Two High Value Targets specialised in armed robbery were part of the criminal group. One of the suspects is known as the ‘escape king’ due to him escaping from prison multiple times. In the course of their investigation, the French authorities noticed the two High Value Targets travelling regularly to Belgium. They suspected the targets were planning to commit a crime. After their investigations showed that the members had links with Belgian suspects, cooperation with the Belgian authorities was quickly set up through Eurojust.
A joint investigation team was set up at Eurojust to allow the Belgian and French authorities to work together swiftly and efficiently, exchanging information and evidence in real time. To stop the criminals, a joint operation was planned at Eurojust.
In the late hours of 26 February, the Belgian authorities arrested 12 suspects. The authorities know several of the people arrested. Following the arrests, several searches were carried out in France and Belgium. Investigations into the robbers are ongoing.
The following authorities carried out the operations:
France: JIRS PARIS inter regional specialised jurisdiction; OCCLO National Police Organised Crime unit
Belgium: PPO Brussels; Investigative Judge Brussels; Judicial Police Brussels (PJF Bruxelles); Special Units Belgian Federal Police (DSU)
JIT members have been busy working on a common prosecutorial strategy, which prioritises investigations into the crime of aggression, crimes of torture, ill-treatment and filtration in relation to illegal detention sites, as well as the crime of genocide.
Since March 2022, the Agency has organised 26 coordination meetings between the JIT and other national authorities investigating alleged core international crimes committed in Ukraine. This has allowed involved countries to exchange data on their respective domestic investigations, discuss strategies and priorities, and coordinate investigative measures.
Eurojust is fully committed to continuing to support the important work of the JIT, and has allocated roughly half a million euros to finance its activities.
ICPA: progress made on a solid case-building package for the crime of aggression
In the last six months, the ICPA has made significant progress in compiling a solid case-building package. This package relies on a common investigative and prosecutorial strategy on the crime of aggression, agreed on by ICPA participants.
The case-building package is intended for transmission to the future office of the prosecutor of a possible special tribunal or other jurisdictions.
The ICPA has and continues to ensure the collection and preliminary analysis of potential evidence that may relate to individuals at the highest levels of military and political leadership. Investigative efforts are not limited by the official positions that individuals may hold.
As the aggression in Ukraine continues, there is a growing body of evidence that the ICPA is actively investigating.
The ICPA has received additional funding, and in January 2025, its operations were extended for six months. To this end, an amendment to the Contribution Agreement was signed between Eurojust and the European Commission’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments.
CICED: over 3 700 evidence files
CICED is a unique, tailor-made judicial database set up by Eurojust to preserve, analyse and store evidence of core international crimes. CICED enables the Agency to support national judicial authorities in identifying evidence located in another country that may be relevant to their own investigations. To date, over 3 700 evidence files have been submitted to CICED by 16 countries.
In January 2025, a new translation tool enabled evidence files submitted by national authorities to be translated from 19 languages into English. This game-changer has greatly accelerated the Agency’s analytical work. As a result, the database’s search function is more precise, and requests for information from national authorities can be answered more swiftly.
Eurojust has been working hard to respond to national authorities’ requests to support their investigations into core international crimes. In addition, the Agency has proactively identified files deemed useful for ongoing national investigations.
Background:
Since the outbreak of the war, Eurojust has been at the forefront of supporting accountability for Russian crimes. Just three weeks following the full-scale invasion by Russia in 2022, Eurojust supported the setting up of a JIT that now consists of Ukraine, six EU Member States, the participation of the ICC and Europol, as well as a Memorandum of Understanding with the United States.
In a fragmented and complex operational landscape, with the ongoing war and evidence spread across countries with different legal systems, the JIT allows partners to exchange information directly and in real time. It also helps JIT members to streamline their investigations, as the national authorities involved can now focus on actively building their cases.
Eurojust provides legal and analytical expertise as well as logistical and financial support to the JIT.
In February 2023, Eurojust launched the Core International Crimes Evidence Database (CICED), based on an urgent amendment of Eurojust’s mandate, following the invasion of Ukraine.
Since March 2022, Eurojust has actively participated in the EU Freeze and Seize Task Force set up by the European Commission to ensure the efficient implementation of EU sanctions against listed Russian and Belarusian oligarchs across the European Union. Eurojust provides operational support to the Task Force by coordinating Member States’ enforcement of Union sanctions through criminal law.
Together with the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office, Eurojust co-chairs the workstream on national investigations of the Dialogue Group on Accountability for Ukraine. This workstream aims to identify key challenges in core international crime cases and jointly propose solutions at the policy level, for example on the use of open-source evidence in the investigation and prosecution of international crimes in the context of Ukraine.
More information:
For more information on the various actions taken by Eurojust since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, please consult our dedicated webpage.
Prosecutors from the Western Balkans and Latin America gathered in Lima (Peru) for a meeting aimed at enhancing international cooperation in the fight against organised crime. The event, ‘’Networking for Impact: Enhancing Cross-Border Cooperation Between Western Balkan and Latin American Prosecutors in the Area of Organised Crime’’, took place between 18 – 20 February 2025 and marked a significant step towards advancing joint efforts to dismantle international criminal networks.
The event, co-organised between the Western Balkans Criminal Justice (WBCJ) Project and EL PACCTO 2.0, focused on addressing pressing challenges in combating organised crime and ways to enhance cooperation. Leading prosecutors in charge of cross-border cases gathered together to exchange information and strengthen judicial ties.
The event featured a series of discussions on crime trends, international cooperation, and strategies for enhancing cross-border efforts. Sessions included expert presentations on emerging threats, roundtable discussions on legal and operational challenges, and bilateral meetings aimed at fostering direct cooperation between countries.
The meeting underscores the critical need for stronger international partnerships between the Western Balkans and Latin America to effectively tackle cross-border crime. By bringing judicial practitioners together, the event helped to create a platform to build a more coordinated and effective response against organised crime in the regions involved.
Commenting on the outcome of the evaluation of the cooperation, Representative of Denmark at Eurojust, Ms Kirstine Troldborg, and Liaison Prosecutor for Norway, Mr Rudolf Christoffersen jointly, said: This really shows the importance of long-term judicial cooperation across borders between national authorities. Only by closely working together via Eurojust, we can really tackle major criminal networks and get justice done. The support of the Agency to our joint investigation team has been instrumental in getting these impressive results.
Investigations at national level in both countries showed that a well-structured organised crime group (OCG) trafficked large quantities of different kinds of illicit drugs to Denmark and Norway from Morocco via Spain. In order to tackle the OCG at large, judicial authorities in Denmark and Norway decided to set up a dedicated JIT in 2019, with financial, logistical and operational support from Eurojust.
Over the five-year period, this not only resulted in the total of 1 037 years of prison sentences being imposed, but also in the seizure of over 9 600 kilos of cannabis, around 675 kilos of cocaine, 355 kilos of amphetamine, 77 kilos of synthetic drugs and 41 kilos of heroin across the two countries.
Also, both in Denmark and Norway, various firearms, several apartments and other real estate, a vehicle, a boat, a motorbike and luxury watches, as well as cash and cryptocurrencies, were seized, with a total estimated value of EUR 15.6 million.
The following authorities were involved in the coordination of the operations against the OCG in both countries:
Denmark: National Special Crime Unit; Attached Prosecution Service to National Special Crime Unit
Norway: Norwegian National Criminal Investigation Service
In view of Protocol 22 of the Lisbon Treaty of 2009, the EU legislation in the area of freedom, security and justice does not apply to Denmark. Since the entry into force of the Eurojust Regulation in December 2019, Denmark no longer has a National Member at Eurojust, but a Representative. Norway is one of twelve countries* with a Liaison Prosecutor at Eurojust that can open requests for judicial cooperation to authorities in EU Member States and vice versa, via Eurojust.
*The other countries with Liaison Prosecutors at Eurojust are: Albania, Georgia, Iceland, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The practical aim of this project is to assist CSOs at regional and local level and set up platforms for their cooperation with judicial authorities outside the EU. This will assist organisations in dealing with the increase in violations of human rights due to the sharp rise of armed conflicts across the globe.
The number of armed conflicts worldwide has doubled over the last five years, according to Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED). This has led to a stark increase in war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity, so-called core international crimes. This brings particular challenges for the international community to pursue accountability in order to get justice done for the victims by exercising universal and extraterritorial jurisdiction.
Commenting on the launch of IMPNA, Eurojust Vice-President Ms Margarita Šniutytė-Daugėlienė said: ‘The fight against impunity for the most atrocious crimes requires cooperation on the broadest level to make sure perpetrators can be brought to justice. Especially with the rise of armed conflicts around the world, we need to work with as many actors as possible: national authorities, the International Criminal Court, fact-finding missions, the United Nations and civil society organisations. For this reason, I very much welcome this new project, as it will give a major impetus to cooperation efforts in the interest of all victims of core international crimes.’
EU Member States constitute the majority of countries that initiate investigations and prosecutions in response to atrocities committed worldwide. Yet the nature and potential impact of universal jurisdiction calls for its use globally. By widening the scope of judicial actions against core international crimes, across regions and situations, the number of ’safe havens’ for perpetrators can be limited.
Furthermore, the fight against impunity benefits from the contribution of various actors who seek to advance the cause of justice. These include national authorities, international and hybrid criminal courts and tribunals, investigative mechanisms and fact-finding missions mandated by the United Nations and CSOs.
Over the years, CSOs have provided key contributions to accountability efforts, including by collecting and preserving information on core international crimes and human rights violations. The IMPNA project will bolster their capacities, as well as those of national authorities, to work together and enhance cooperation between all efforts undertaken in both EU Member States and third countries. A principal aim is to avoid duplication of efforts through better coordination and cooperation, with a special focus on victims, especially female survivors.
The project is funded by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) for four years, from October 2024 until September 2028. With its official launch today at Eurojust, IMPNA has now formally started. It will be implemented and hosted by Eurojust and the Genocide Network Secretariat, based at the Agency.
Judicial and law enforcement authorities in Romania and the Netherlands have set up a dedicated joint investigation team (JIT) into the theft of four pieces of precious historic Romanian art from the Dutch Drents Museum, last month. The JIT has been set up with active support from Eurojust, which will provide operational, logistic and legal assistance to the investigators on the case.
Four pieces of major Romanian cultural heritage, including the historic golden crown of Coţofeneşti, were stolen from the museum in Assen in the north of the Netherlands in the early hours of Saturday 25 January. The perpetrators used massive force and gained access by means of an explosion, in order to steal the crown and three ancient golden bracelets, which were all exhibited on loan from the Romanian National Museum of History. In the meantime, three suspects have been arrested in the Netherlands and are currently still being held in custody.
At the request of the Romanian authorities, within the same week after the museum heist, Eurojust organised a coordination meeting at its premises to discuss the judicial follow up of the cultural theft and enable cooperation between the investigators involved. In order to cooperate further and more closely, a special dedicated JIT has now been set up between Romania and the Netherlands.
A JIT not only facilitates closer cooperation in specific cases, but also arranges for a more rapid and seamless exchange of information between the authorities involved. In view of the ongoing investigations, Eurojust will not be able to provide further information at this stage.