The Role and Work of Eurojust Combating International Crime

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- The Role and Work of Eurojust - Combating
International Crime
Cicero Foundation, Paris - 14 May 2004

• Mike Kennedy
• President of the College of Eurojust
• National Member for the United Kingdom

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What is Eurojust ?

• A group of 25 EU prosecutors / judges
• One nominated by each Member State
• Aim -
• to deal more effectively with serious cross
  border crime, particularly when it is organised,
  and involves two or more Member States
  - JHA Council Decision of 14 December 2000

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Aims

• Improve co-operation between Competent
  Authorities in Member States
• Bring better co-ordination of cross-border
  investigations and prosecutions
• Exchange of information
• To make recommendations to change laws to improve
  MLA Extradition arrangements

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Why Eurojust ?

• Removal of frontier controls in EU states
• At least 27 different legal systems
• To improve action against cross-border crime
• Existing Mutual Legal Assistance Extradition
  arrangements are often lengthy and uncertain
• Alternative to the European Prosecutor option

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Some of the Problems

• European Union Principle Freedom of Movement
• People Capital Goods Services
• Minimal, if any, frontier controls
• Mobility relatively cheap travel
• Computer and internet cyber crime
• Organised cross-border crime
• Terrorism
• Trafficking in Drugs
• Trafficking in Human Beings
• Serious Fraud (inc..fraud on EU Budget)
• Car Theft
• Corruption

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The Enlarged European Union
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27 EU Legal Systems
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Free Movement 27 EU Legal Systems
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Eurojust - Membership (1)

• Austria
• Belgium
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary

• Ulrike Haberl-Schwarz V/President
• Michèle Coninsx
• Katerina Loizou
• Pavel Zeman
• Johan Reimann
• Raivo Sepp
• Tuomas Oja
• Olivier de Baynast V/President
• Hermann von Langsdorff
• Stavroula Koutoulakou
• Ilona Lévai

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Eurojust - Membership (2)

• Cesare Martellino
• Rolandas Tilindis
• Gunars Bundzis
• Georges Heisbourg
• Silvio Camilleri
• Roelof-Jan Manschot
• Jerzy Iwanicki
• Jose-Luis Lopes da Mota
• Peter Paluda
• Barbara Brezigar (subject to Parliament)
• Ruben Jimenez Fernandes
• Solveig Wollstad
• Mike Kennedy President of the College

• Italy
• Lithuania
• Latvia
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• The Netherlands
• Poland
• Portugal
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• UK

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How Eurojust Works

• Case Referrals
• Working Methods
• Adding Value
• Strategic Meetings
• Co-ordination Meetings

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Cases Referred

• 1 March - 31 December 2001 192
• 1 January - 31 December 2002 202
• 1 January - 31 December 2003 300
• 1 January - 12 May 2004 118

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Offences
Fraud
Drug Trafficking
Money Laundering
Terrorism
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Working at Different Levels

• Level 1
• Plenary Meeting of all 25 National Members
• Twice each week
• Level 2
• Only those national members involved in a case
• Level 3
• Investigators prosecutors dealing with a case