Eurojust presenteert Jaarrapport 2012 tijdens persconferentie Iers voorzitterschap (en)

Today, a delegation from Eurojust highlighted Eurojust’s significant achievements and presented the AR2012.

The occasion provided an opportunity to explain Eurojust’s operational work to a considerable number of Brussels-based journalists, and to present the AR2012.

Michèle Coninsx, President of Eurojust and National Member for Belgium, highlighted the growth in casework (eight-fold increase since 2001). She stated: “We are brokers and facilitators, supporting the work of the national authorities. Our relationships with them are based on trust. The growth in the number of cases is proof that we are doing our job well.” Ms Coninsx spoke about Eurojust’s most important tools: coordination meetings, coordination centres, joint investigation teams (JITs) (22 Member States benefited from JIT funding in 2012), and support to national judicial authorities. She spoke of the challenges faced in 2012: “All agencies have had their budgets frozen for the next seven years. The JIT Funding Project’s financing will end in October 2013. We are still awaiting full implementation of the 2009 Council Decision on the strengthening of Eurojust by the Member States. New criminal phenomena have emerged recently, such as maritime piracy, cybercrime and the effects of the Arab Spring.”

Leif Görts, National Member for Sweden, spoke about the Playa cocaine-trafficking case. The JIT formed in this case has yielded excellent results in terms of convictions and frozen and seized assets, as well as providing a solid basis for future JITs in terms of rules on evidence and disclosure. JITs allow prosecutors to share information with a legal basis, and to avoid the lengthy and complicated process of mutual legal assistance via individual requests.

Stewart Robinson, Liaison Prosecutor for the USA at Eurojust, spoke about Eurojust’s success in fighting sophisticated organised criminal networks involved in child abuse. He provided details of the worldwide cooperation necessary to dismantle three major cases, all of which involved many countries: Koala/Joint Hammer, Lost Boy and Dreamboard/Operation Delego.

Koen Hermans, Assistant to the National Member for the Netherlands, made a presentation about maritime piracy. He spoke of the legal and factual obstacles faced by this relatively new form of crime: jurisdiction, timely involvement of investigating judges, evidence gathering, and sharing of information. Eurojust has created a Maritime Piracy Judicial Monitor, which will be published soon, providing best practice and advice on how to conduct investigations and to deal with legal obstacles.

For further information, please see our website: www.eurojust.europa.eu

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For more information, please contact:

Mr Joannes THUY, Spokesperson - Head of Press & PR Service

EUROJUST - Maanweg 174, 2516 AB, The Hague, the Netherlands

Tel +31 70 412 5508

E-mail: jthuy@eurojust.europa.eu