At the beginning of March 2022, Eurojust published its Annual Report for the year 2021. Last year, Eurojust celebrated its 20th anniversary and, for the first time in its history, the Agency supported more than 10,000 cases in one single year.

On its 20th anniversary, Eurojust had 337 post-holders, including 26 National Members, assisted by 57 deputies and assistants seconded from the judicial authorities of the Member States. Ten Liaison Prosecutors from countries outside the EU are also posted at Eurojust. The Agency holds international/cooperation agreements with 13 third countries and is actively connected with over 60 jurisdictions worldwide. It also actively cooperates with main actors in the EU criminal justice area, such as Europol, OLAF, eu-LISA, FRA, and EUIPO. Additionally, in 2021, Eurojust signed a working agreement with the EPPO. The Agency’s budget amounted to €53.3 million in 2021.

The total number of cases supported by the Agency increased 15% compared to the previous year, totalling 10,105 cross-border criminal investigations in the past year. 4808 cases were new cases and 5297 were ongoing cases from previous years. As in previous years, the majority of new cases concerned swindling and fraud (1453), money laundering (648), and drug trafficking (869).

Eurojust provided operational guidance on the application of EU judicial cooperation instruments, in particular with regard to the European Arrest Warrant (480 cases), the European Investigation Order (4.262 cases), freezing and confiscation, and conflicts of jurisdiction. It also provided expert advice on securing (electronic) evidence across EU borders.

In 2021, Eurojust supported 72 new Joint Investigation Teams (JITs) and provided €1.16 million in funding for 104 active JITs. The Agency extended its financial support to also cover the costs of specialist expertise, low-value equipment (hardware, software), and travel/accommodation/interpreting for victims and witnesses.

Eurojust’s governance and agency management included the adoption and implementation of an anti-fraud strategy 2021-2024. Other activities included the approval of the Agency’s Multi-Annual Strategy for 2022-2024.