On 9 December 2020, Eurojust published its 2019 Report on Counter-Terrorism presenting the Agency’s activities in the area of counter-terrorism in the year 2019. The report gives an overview of Eurojust’s casework on counter-terrorism and presents the main concepts/principles of the newly developed European Judicial Counter-Terrorism Register, which was launched on 1 September 2019 (→ eucrim 3/2019, 167).

In 2019, Eurojust coordinated 222 terrorism cases; the agency registered 94 new coordination requests, which is an increase of 16% compared to the previous year. 24 specific coordination meetings were held and eight Joint Investigation Teams conducted, of which two were newly established in 2019. Legal and practical challenges identified concerned the execution of requests based on mutual recognition instruments, mutual legal assistance (MLA) requests, and establishment of the (best-placed) jurisdiction to prosecute.

Ultimately, the report sets out the following priority areas to enhance Eurojust’s counter-terrorism work:

• Improving the efficient and timely coordination of counter-terrorism investigations and prosecutions;
• Continuing the implementation of the European Judicial Counter-Terrorism Register;
• Enhancing timely information sharing concerning judicial counter-terrorism proceedings;
• Coordinating judicial cooperation to provide support to victims of terrorism and guarantee their rights;

Sharing experience and providing input to discussions at the EU level.