The protection of intellectual property rights and stepping up the fight against major organised criminal networks, including the better execution of penalties, were at the forefront of the annual meeting of European Prosecutors General.

In December, President Schmid reported on Eurojust’s efforts to tackle organised crime and drug trafficking, as well as our responses to the war in Ukraine at the annual Interparliamentary Committee Meeting.

Ms Martyna Pospieszalska has taken up her duties as the new Liaison Prosecutor for the United States at Eurojust. She succeeds Mr Philip Mirrer-Singer and has been appointed for an initial term of two years. Ms Pospieszalska has over a decade of experience working in the field of international cooperation in criminal matters with extensive expertise in extraditions, mutual legal assistance, electronic evidence and cross-border asset forfeiture.

International operation takes down another encrypted messaging service used by criminals

Action against ‘phone phishing’ gang in Belgium and the Netherlands: eight arrests

Malware targeting millions of people taken down by international coalition

Support to German-led action to halt at least EUR 300 million in online fraud

Support to German-Cypriot operation against fake investment platforms robbing victims of EUR 10 million

Action to counter undeclared labour and tax fraud in Germany: five arrests

International cigarette trafficking ring dismantled: 15 arrests

Transatlantic cocaine trafficking route by air and sea halted: 23 arrests

Crackdown on cocaine trafficking from South America in Italy and Albania: 29 arrests

Over 6 million illegally exported pills seized in international operation against drug trafficking network

Authorities disrupt migrant smuggling supply chain

Action against criminal network smuggling Syrian migrants via Balkan route: 29 arrests

Arms trafficking group uncovered in Albania and Kosovo*

Four arrests and nine companies seized in anti-mafia operation in Italy and Brazil

Crackdown on illegal streaming network with 22 million users worldwide

Criminals selling counterfeit wine stopped in their tracks

Criminals recruiting and exploiting workers arrested

Precious archaeological vases and coins returned to Italian museum with support of Eurojust

International operation leads to seizure of 2 000 fake works of art with potential losses of EUR 200 million

On 23-24 October, the 20th Annual Meeting of the National Experts on Joint Investigation Teams took place at Eurojust. This year’s event focused on the admissibility of evidence and e-evidence, a crucial aspect of modern criminal investigations.

On 29-30 October, the 4th EuroMed Justice Network (EMJNet) meeting was held at the Ministry of Justice of Spain in Madrid. Forty-five criminal justice representatives from eight South Partner Countries (SPCs) and nine European Union Member States gathered to share knowledge and exchange best practices.

From November 20-21, Eurojust hosted its eighth annual meeting on migrant smuggling. The meeting, organised by Eurojust’s Anti-Trafficking Team, brought practitioners together to discuss the latest operational and strategic developments in the field of combatting migrant smuggling.

Eurojust hosted two hybrid meetings on surrender and extradition procedures, organized in cooperation with partners from the United Kingdom and United States, respectively.

The 36th Meeting of the Genocide Network took place this week at Eurojust. More than 140 experts gathered at Eurojust headquarters to discuss the critical issue of unlawful attacks against civilians under international humanitarian law.

On 27 and 28 November, Eurojust hosted its annual counter-terrorism meeting, which gathered specialised prosecutors and other experts from EU Member States and third countries, as well as representatives from EU institutions, to discuss the latest challenges and share best practices in combatting terrorist threats.

The SIRIUS Conference 2024 took place from 5-7 November, bringing together law enforcement, judicial authorities, policy makers, and service providers to discuss the evolving challenges in cross-border access to electronic evidence.

The 20th CrimEx was held on 11 and 12 December in a hybrid format at Eurojust. Criminal justice representatives from 7 South Partner Countries and 10 European Union Member States gathered to discuss technical and strategic aspects of international judicial cooperation in criminal matters along with the missions, goals and next steps of the cooperation mechanisms of the EuroMed Justice project.

The Western Balkans Criminal Justice Project, in collaboration with the Academy of European Law, the JITs Network, and the Sirius Project, successfully organised the Winter Academy on Judicial Cooperation in Cross-Border Organized Crime for newly appointed Western Balkan practitioners from December 4 to 6, 2024, in Trier, Germany.

The series of outreach events organised by the Western Balkans Criminal Justice (WBCJ) Project has successfully concluded, covering Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.