What changed

1. Welcomes the fact that the Court of Auditors (the ‘Court’) has declared the transactions underlying the annual accounts of the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust) for the financial year 2022 to be legal and regular in all material respects;

2. Notes an ongoing observation from 2020 on the legality and regularity of transactions based on a signature of a framework contract with a single company for the leasing of vehicles, which resulted 59 281 EUR irregular payment for the reporting period; notes that the contract is due to expire in 2024 and that any subsequent specific contracts have been issued under this framework contract; calls on Eurojust to fully address this observation, implementing all of the Court recommendations and to report to the discharge authority about the progress achieved;

3. Welcomes that the casework carried out by Eurojust is steadily increasing, in 2022 by 14%, and that 528 Coordination Meetings and 22 Coordination Centres were organised, and that Eurojust supported 265 Joint Investigation Teams, facilitated the execution of 1 262 European Arrest Warrants and enabled the use of 5 415 European Investigation Orders; notes that the cases dealt with by Eurojust in 2022 involved more than triple the number of victims compared to 2021;

3. Further notes the Court’s observation that Eurojust did not comply within the delays with the time limits for payments stipulated in Article 116 of the Financial Regulation; acknowledges the response of Eurojust facing period of adjustment to a new budgetary and financial system SUMMA which was in pilot phase, causing delays and technical difficulties in processing the transactions; recalls that the carryovers at Eurojust are significantly below the threshold levels;

4. Appreciates the transnational cooperation between judicial authorities facilitated by Eurojust and the close cooperation with all actors in the criminal justice chain, which contributed to the arrest of more than 4 000 suspects, the seizure and or freezing of criminal assets worth almost EUR 3 billion and the seizure of drugs worth almost EUR 12 billion;

4. Welcomes that the casework carried out by Eurojust is steadily increasing, in 2022 by 14%, and that 528 Coordination Meetings and 22 Coordination Centres were organised, and that Eurojust supported 265 Joint Investigation Teams, facilitated the execution of 1 262 European Arrest Warrants and enabled the use of 5 415 European Investigation Orders; notes that the cases dealt with by Eurojust in 2022 involved more than triple the number of victims compared to 2021;

5. Welcomes the quick response to Russian’s invasion of Ukraine the Eurojust’s mandate was extended to include preserving, analysing and storing evidence relating to core international crimes and the creation of a judicial database to collect and analyse core international crimes evidence;

5. Appreciates the transnational cooperation between judicial authorities facilitated by Eurojust and the close cooperation with all actors in the criminal justice chain, which contributed to the arrest of more than 4 000 suspects, the seizure and or freezing of criminal assets worth almost EUR 3 billion and the seizure of drugs worth almost EUR 12 billion;

6. Welcomes the efforts by Eurojust to support the digitalisation of justice and the implementation of the new Eurojust Case Management System;

6. Notes the quick response to Russian’s invasion of Ukraine the Eurojust’s mandate was extended to include preserving, analysing and storing evidence relating to core international crimes and the creation of a judicial database to collect and analyse core international crimes evidence;

7. Welcomes the continued cooperation between Eurojust with other JHA Agencies and other stakeholders; the 14 case opened involving European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), and the close cooperation with the European Anti-fraud Office (OLAF), European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol), the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS), eu-LISA and that Eurojust continued to cooperate with the European Judicial Network (EJN), bringing the number of cases referred to the EJN to 44 in 2021; further welcomes the increase in Eurojust contact points to over 60 countries;

7. Welcomes the efforts by Eurojust to support the digitalisation of justice and the implementation of the new Eurojust Case Management System;

8. Welcomes the continued cooperation between Eurojust with other JHA Agencies and other stakeholders; the 14 case opened involving European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), and the close cooperation with the European Anti-fraud Office (OLAF), European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol), the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS), eu-LISA and that Eurojust continued to cooperate with the European Judicial Network (EJN), bringing the number of cases referred to the EJN to 44 in 2021; further welcomes the increase in Eurojust contact points to over 60 countries;

INFORMATION ON ADOPTION IN COMMITTEE ASKED FOR OPINION

Date adopted

23.1.2024

Result of final vote

+:

–:

0:

51

2

2

Members present for the final vote

Magdalena Adamowicz, Abir Al-Sahlani, Katarina Barley, Pietro Bartolo, Theresa Bielowski, Patrick Breyer, Saskia Bricmont, Jorge Buxadé Villalba, Damien Carême, Patricia Chagnon, Lena Düpont, Lucia Ďuriš Nicholsonová, Cornelia Ernst, Nicolaus Fest, Maria Grapini, Sylvie Guillaume, Andrzej Halicki, Evin Incir, Sophia in ‘t Veld, Patryk Jaki, Marina Kaljurand, Assita Kanko, Łukasz Kohut, Moritz Körner, Alice Kuhnke, Jeroen Lenaers, Juan Fernando López Aguilar, Erik Marquardt, Javier Moreno Sánchez, Maite Pagazaurtundúa, Diana Riba i Giner, Isabel Santos, Birgit Sippel, Vincenzo Sofo, Tineke Strik, Milan Uhrík, Tom Vandendriessche, Elissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi, Elena Yoncheva, Javier Zarzalejos

Substitutes present for the final vote

Cyrus Engerer, José Gusmão, Beata Kempa, Leopoldo López Gil, Janina Ochojska, Anne-Sophie Pelletier, Bergur Løkke Rasmussen, Róża Thun und Hohenstein, Maria Walsh, Tomáš Zdechovský

Substitutes under Rule 209(7) present for the final vote

Andrus Ansip, Hildegard Bentele, Maria da Graça Carvalho, Marisa Matias, Caroline Nagtegaal

ANNEX: ENTITIES OR PERSONS FROM WHOM THE RAPPORTEUR HAS RECEIVED INPUT

The rapporteur has received input from the following entities or persons in the preparation of the opinion:

Entity and/or person

European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust)

The list above is drawn up under the exclusive responsibility of the rapporteur.

FINAL VOTE BY ROLL CALL IN COMMITTEE ASKED FOR OPINION

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