Eurojust steps up its role in fighting war crimes, says Agency’s Annual Report 2022

25/05/2023

The Hague, 24 May 2023

In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Eurojust’s role in fighting core international crimes was significantly enhanced in 2022, says the Agency’s Annual Report, published today.

Just weeks after the outbreak of the war, the Agency provided essential support to the set-up of a joint investigation team (JIT) into alleged war crimes in Ukraine. Subsequently, Eurojust’s mandate was rapidly extended to allow the Agency to store and analyse evidence on core international crimes. By the end of the year, the European Commission asked Eurojust to host the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine (ICPA).

These are the landmark events that shaped Eurojust’s work in 2022 and will continue to in the years to come, according to the Agency’s Annual Report. Commenting on the war’s impact on Eurojust’s activities, Ms Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, stated: ‘Responding to the unjustified invasion of Ukraine by Russia has permanently changed the nature of Eurojust’s work. I am determined to see the European Union lead the fight for full accountability for the horrendous crimes committed in Ukraine. Eurojust has stepped up to the plate and has proven exactly what it is capable of.’

While actively providing dedicated support to justice for Ukraine, Eurojust continued to deliver on its mandate to fight all serious cross-border crime. The Agency’s casework increased by 14% in 2022 compared to 2021. Eurojust handled 11 544 criminal investigations last year, including more than 2 000 large-scale operations. The Agency helped bring justice to more than 300 000 crime victims, which is three times as many victims as in the previous year.

Eurojust President, Mr Ladislav Hamran, commented: ‘2022 was a year unlike many others for Eurojust. In addition to our Ukraine-related work, our caseload increased significantly. We look forward to sustaining and supporting the further growth curve that lies ahead, with the undoubtable challenges that this will bring.’

Eurojust 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. These operational outcomes are the result of effective transnational cooperation between judicial authorities, facilitated by Eurojust, in close cooperation with all actors in the criminal justice chain.

The top three crime types handled by the Agency in 2022 were swindling and fraud, drug trafficking and money laundering. The number of new core international crime cases opened by the Agency more than tripled compared to 2021.

Eurojust’s international cooperation continued to lead to an increasing number of registered cases, with third countries opening 331 new cases in 2022 alone. The United Kingdom was the third country with the highest number of Eurojust cases in 2022 (315), followed by Switzerland, Norway, Albania, Serbia and Ukraine.

The Agency’s Contact Points in countries outside the EU also continued to grow, with Australia, Bahrain and Morocco joining Eurojust’s 65-strong country network in 2022. Eurojust continued its excellent cooperation with South Partner Countries in the EuroMed Justice Programme, while also initiating the new WBCJ project to strengthen cooperation with the Western Balkans on fighting organised transnational crime.

The Agency continued to serve judicial authorities in Member States by organising 528 international coordination meetings and 22 action days, as well as providing operational support to 265 JITs (123 of which were funded by Eurojust). These services, together with assistance in executing judicial cooperation instruments (such as European Arrest Warrants and European Investigation Orders) enabled national judicial authorities to achieve impressive on-the-ground results across key crime areas in 2022.