EU crime agency caseload rose by 13% last year

The EU’s crime agency Eurojust recorded a 13 per cent increase in the number of crime cases it dealt with last year, despite difficult working conditions during the pandemic.

It handled more than 8,800 cases, froze criminal assets worth €1.9 billion ($2.25bn) and seized drugs worth €3bn.

The European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Co-operation assists nations with serious cross-border crimes including terrorism.

More than 2,200 people were arrested last year as the agency worked on 737 cases in France, 413 in the UK, 841 in Italy, 413 in Sweden and 119 in Ireland, among others.

The president of the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, Ladislav Hamran, said the agency faced difficult working conditions.

“In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic had us face the most significant and unpredictable challenges,” he said.

“I am incredibly proud of the flexibility, resilience and determination that Eurojust has shown in the face of this crisis.

“Our operational support was never interrupted and our impressive results confirm that even under the most difficult circumstances, we are still able to make a real, tangible contribution towards a safer Europe.”

The agency reported a 16 per cent increase in terrorism cases last year and dealt with more than 90 requests for help in terrorism-related cases from EU member states.

Some of those involved the targeting of foreign terrorist fighters travelling to a conflict zone to join the ranks of a group or to undergo training.

Others focused on terrorist networks and cells involved in the recruitment, financing and facilitation of the travel or the return of fighters.

In total, 164 cases were directly related to the coronavirus pandemic.