Auto Added by WPeMatico
Source: NATO
On Monday (11 November 2024), NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte honoured the courage and sacrifice of those who have served and continue to serve in the military. He paid tribute to all those who defend our freedoms and protect our way of life. As well as commemorating Armistice Day, he delivered a message of thanks on US Veterans Day, underlining the patriotism, courage and sacrifice of those who answered their country’s call.
Source: Eurojust
The fake art recovered by the authorities included forged works by famous artists such as Banksy, Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Francis Bacon, Wassily Kandinsky, Gustav Klimt, Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh and Salvador Dalí. Investigations into the fake works revealed a network of forgers in Spain, France and Belgium. Once the fake works of art were produced, the network would work with several complicit auction houses in Italy to sell the pieces. To ensure the credibility of the auctions, exhibitions were organised throughout Italy and a catalogue of the art was published. Catching the forgers made it possible to avoid the works being auctioned off at prices close to the original works by the real artists.
The investigation into the network began in March 2023, when Italian authorities found around 200 fake works of art during a search order against an entrepreneur. This led investigators to monitor e-commerce platforms of auction houses to find similar works for sale and the sellers of these pieces. The investigation identified two forgers and two painting workshops that were used to produce the fake works of art.
As the investigation uncovered a European forgery network, cross-border judicial cooperation was initiated at Eurojust. Eurojust ensured that three European Investigation Orders were issued against six suspects in Spain, France and Belgium. The searches led to the discovery of forgery workshops and the seizure of 1 000 fake works of art and more than 500 forged certificates and stamps of authenticity.
The investigation led to charges against 38 suspects in the forgery network for conspiracy to forge and deal in contemporary art. Experts from the Italian authorities confirmed that the works of art were not originals and estimated the economic damage at approximately EUR 200 million if the pieces had been auctioned. By preventing these works from reaching the market, the authorities averted a major disruption to the art auction industry.
In agreement with the authorities involved and with the support of Eurojust, all the fake works of art and items seized in Spain, France and Belgium have been handed over to the Italian authorities for further analysis.
The following authorities were involved in the actions:
Source: NATO
Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea and Ukraine associate themselves with this statement
NATO Allies strongly condemn the decisions by the leaders of the Russian Federation and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to dangerously expand Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine.
In addition to the DPRK’s already substantive support to Russia’s war effort, through the provision of millions of rounds of ammunitions and ballistic missiles, the thousands of combat troops deployed by the DPRK constitutes a dangerous expansion of its ongoing support for Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.
The deepening military cooperation between Russia and the DPRK deeply impacts Euro-Atlantic security, with implications also for the Indo-Pacific.
Increasing military cooperation between Russia and the DPRK is a breach of multiple UN Security Council resolutions, including 2270 (2016), 1718 (2006), and 1874 (2009). This is particularly egregious given Russia’s status as a Permanent Member of the UN Security Council. We call on Russia to return to compliance with these resolutions and to uphold its international obligations.
Russia’s statement on 26 September asserting that the denuclearisation of the DPRK is “off the table” is unacceptable, as it undermines the global non-proliferation regime, directly contradicts relevant UN Security Council resolutions, and further exacerbates regional tensions. The Russian statement forms part of its wider effort to undermine the global non-proliferation regime and to dismantle UN sanctions.
We urge all countries not to provide any kind of assistance to Russia’s aggression, and condemn all those who are facilitating and thereby prolonging Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine.
NATO will continue to work with its partners, in particular in the Indo-Pacific, to promote peace and stability, and prevent Russia and those facilitating its war effort from undermining regional and global stability.
Allies continue to enhance NATO’s deterrence and defence against all threats and challenges, in all domains, and in multiple strategic directions across the Euro-Atlantic area.
Allies remain as resolute as ever in supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes for Ukraine to prevail. Allies and partners continue to step up vital political, military, financial, economic, and humanitarian assistance as Ukraine exercises its inherent right to self-defence as enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter.
Allies are determined to support Ukraine in building a force capable of defeating Russian aggression, in line with the pledge of long-term security assistance for Ukraine.
Source: Eurojust
The first meeting, which took place from 6-7 November, covered the topic of surrender between EU Member States and the United Kingdom. Partners from the United Kingdom presented an introduction to the UK legal system concerning surrender. This included identifying common legal challenges and sharing best practices on how to overcome them. The meeting included representatives from 29 countries.
From 7-8 November, a second meeting was hosted on extradition, organized with partners from the United States. During this meeting, the U.S. delegation presented best practices on extradition procedures and faciliated a drafting exercise of an extradition request. Representatives from 26 Member States and 7 third countries attended this meeting.
Both meetings also included participation from members of the European Judicial Network and European Commission. The meetings aimed to increase cooperation and understanding between the EU and its key partners, the UK and the US, on judicial matters. By sharing knowledge and expertise, practitioners will be able to better navigate the complexities of these procedures, ultimately leading to more effective and efficient cooperation.
The UK delegation was led by representatives from:
The US delegation was led by representatives from:
Source: NATO
From 4 to 8 November 2024, the NATO Military Committee was in Qatar for a series of high-level engagements and visits of Qatar’s military education and training facilities. This visit marked the first time the NATO Military Committee travelled to Qatar. The high-level engagements that took place during the visit involved the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, H.E. Dr Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah and the Chief of Staff of the Qatar Armed Forces, Lieutenant-General Salem bin Hamad bin Aqeel Al-Nabit. The goal of the visit was to discuss ongoing and future strategic and operational cooperation between Qatar and NATO.
The visit began with high-level meetings with H.E. Dr Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah, Lieutenant-General Salem bin Hamad bin Aqeel Al-Nabit and Chair of the NATO Military Committee Admiral Rob Bauer. In the meetings they discussed NATO’s commitment to a strong partnership with the State of Qatar, as well as praise for Qatar’s enhanced commitment on military cooperation with NATO. Admiral Bauer stated: “Ever since Qatar joined the Istanbul Cooperation initiative in 2005, we have worked together to increase security and stability in this region and beyond. In this ever more complex security environment, cooperation between Partners is more important than ever.”
Lieutenant-General Al-Nabit emphasized the importance of Qatar’s partnership with NATO: “The partnership between the State of Qatar and NATO is unparalleled. We are experiencing close cooperation in the field of defence diplomacy, training, education and operation. Qatar is an active partner in multiple NATO programs. We intend to expand our cooperation to the benefit of Qatar, NATO, and the whole world.”
After an initial day focused on discussions with Qatari authorities and presentations from both the Qatar Armed forces and NATO, the subsequent days were devoted to visiting facilities dedicated to training these forces. These visits started with the 401 Integrated Training Center, a brand-new facility designed for special forces training, including a mock village, an embassy compound, free fall training, driving and different shooting ranges, and even an Airbus A300 dedicated to simulate hostage scenarios.
Other visits included the Military Police Camp, as well as the Al Zeem Mohamed Bin Abdullah Al Attiyah Air college, dedicated to education and training of all roles within the Air Force, including pilots, fighter controllers, air traffic controllers, and drone pilots for the Qatari Armed Forces. It also serves members from other nations who send their students to this state to the art education and training center. The NATO Military Representatives also visited the Brouq Training Center, with maritime intervention training capabilities, and, at last, the Joint Warfare Training Center, where the Military Committee learned about its role in both the Operational Capabilities Concept (OCC) and the Partnership Training and Education Centres (PTECs).
In his closing remarks, Admiral Bauerexpressed gratitude to the Qatari military authorities for their remarkable hospitality and the impressive capabilities they displayed: “Based on what we have seen this week, especially from your inspiring young leaders, both men and women, I can honestly say that the future, your future, is in safe hands. And combined with your world-class facilities, your commitment to education and training, and to working with others including NATO, I am confident that new milestones lie ahead in our cooperation with Qatar.”
Source: NATO
The NATO Through Time podcast dives deep into NATO’s history, reflecting on how the past influences the present – and future – of the longest-lasting alliance in history. This episode features General Jennie Carignan, the head of the Canadian Armed Forces, who reflects on her participation in three of NATO’s major operations and missions.
Why does NATO conduct missions outside of its territory?
What were the different aims and lessons learned of NATO’s missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Afghanistan and Iraq?
What is Canada’s role in a transatlantic alliance that is often framed as a balancing act between the United States and European Allies?
In this episode, General Jennie Carignan, Chief of the Defence Staff of the Canadian Armed Forces, walks us through her distinguished military career. She served on a demining team during a peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, led an engineering regiment during a combat mission in Afghanistan, and was the first woman to lead a NATO mission when she took command of the advisory and capacity-building mission in Iraq in 2019. She also reflects on Canada’s role in NATO, including its contributions to the Alliance’s forward presence in Latvia, and her place in history as the first woman to lead Canada’s military.
The podcast is available on YouTube, and on all major podcast platforms, including:
Source: Europol
In a rapidly changing online environment, law enforcement and judicial authorities need support to cope with the complexity and volume of information and to develop their knowledge when obtaining electronic data from service providers based in other jurisdictions. The SIRIUS project, co-implemented by Europol and Eurojust, supports investigators with a variety of services, such as guidelines, trainings and tools, to…
Source: NATO
Today (7 November 2024), Secretary General Mark Rutte participated in a meeting of the European Political Community in Budapest, Hungary.
The meeting was an opportunity for European leaders to discuss a broad range of security challenges and the importance of working together to address them. This included exchanges not only on traditional threats and challenges but also on issues like economic security and critical dependencies. Mr. Rutte highlighted the importance of working together – not only across the European community but through NATO and its global partners as well. He noted the growing alignment between Russia, China, North Korea and Iran, which are working together to support Russia’s war against Ukraine – a reality that has broader impacts. In exchange for this support, Rutte said, “Russia is delivering technology to North Korea” that will enable the DPRK to “threaten the US mainland, continental Europe and our Indo-Pacific partners”. “These are new, dangerous developments that we need to discuss together.”
In the margins of the meeting in Budapest, the Secretary General met with a number of other leaders including the host, Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Albanian President Edi Rama, and others.
Source: NATO
For the first time, Allied personnel policy directors met in Brussels (4 – 5 November 2024) to share best practices, lessons learned, and ideas for a larger NATO role in addressing challenges in recruiting and retaining military personnel. The discussions were co-chaired by NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defence Policy and Planning Angus Lapsley and Deputy Chair of the NATO Military Committee Lt. Gen Andrew M. Rohling.
At the Washington Summit, leaders reiterated the importance of providing the necessary forces, capabilities, resources, and infrastructure for NATO’s collective defence plans. Such discussions are crucial to improve our ability to generate, train, and sustain troops across domains at higher readiness, to be able to defend every Ally.
Allies discussed the increasing demand for personnel in the new era of collective defence, shared national best practices, and discussed the way ahead. They will continue these discussions and elevate personnel and military workforce issues, as part of NATO’s political agenda, alongside financial and defence industry topics.
Source: Eurojust
German and Cypriot authorities have launched a coordinated operation to block 13 fake investment platforms, with support from Eurojust and Europol. During a joint action day in Cyprus and Germany, four suspects were arrested for defrauding victims of millions of euros and for money laundering. The fraud was run from a call centre based in Cyprus and robbed victims of at least EUR 10 million.
The alleged perpetrators used a well-known modus operandi: cybertrading. This method involves promising high profits and drawing customers through professionally designed, credible websites and social media. They also operated a call centre where members of the organised crime group behind the fraudulent sites posted as professional trading experts.
Approximately 170 German investors were lured into making online transfers, without receiving any real returns on their investments. Instead, they were shown fake statistics indicating that they had made substantial profits. The victims of the fraudulent online system subsequently lost all their money. Initial estimates put the total loss at no less than EUR 10 million.
The investigation was opened in the beginning of 2024 by the Bavarian Central Office for the Prosecution of Cybercrime, which contacted Eurojust in April. Eurojust helped to organise a meeting in Cyprus between the German and Cypriot authorities to exchange information and establish direct links.
The Agency also assisted in the execution of European Investigation Orders and provided background information and research documents. Europol supported the investigation by deploying an expert to Cyprus, during the coordinated action on 4 November. During the coordinated action in Germany and Cyprus, authorities searched 13 locations, arrested 4 suspects, and seized cash, luxury watches and 2 vehicles.
The following authorities initiated and supported the coordinated actions on the ground: