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I. Introduction After many years of reflection and preparation, negotiations on the European Commission’s proposal for a Regulation on the establishment of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (hereinafter EPPO)1 commenced three years ago.2 The proposal is well known to readers of the eucrim journal. During the course of negotiations in the Council of the European Union, the proposal has evolved substantially and in a number of ways, now envisaging a collegiate structure, shared competences between the EPPO and national authorities, and wide autonomy on the part of the European Delegated Prosecutors handling the cases, accompanied by supervisory powers vested in…

The last few years have seen the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (“Frontex”) grow ever more central to European efforts to control the external borders. The Agency moved from a merely coordinating and supporting role to a much more operational one. Frontex now engages …

EU legislation on administrative penalties has prompted an intense discussion in Estonia on whether to resurrect a measure from the past, namely administrative penalties. These penalties were abolished in Estonia in 2002, with all minor offences since then being classified as misdemeanours. Proponents of the …

Where does the protection of human and fundamental rights stand in Europe, particularly in the European Union of the 28 European Member States? Where can the « common heritage of political traditions, ideals, freedom and the rule of law », which is evoked in the …

As part of its efforts to ensure better law-making at the EU level, together with the other EU institutions, the European Parliament is paying increasing attention to the added value of European action (“European added value”) as well as the costs of not taking action …

The EJN and Eurojust compile and regularly update information on the impact of measures taken by governments to combat the spread of COVID-19. This extends to judicial cooperation in criminal matters in the European Union (and Iceland and Norway) and to the way forward. The …

On 30 April 2020, Europol published a report to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on serious and organised crime. The report expects the impact of the pandemic to unfold in three phases:The current and immediate short-term outlook;A mid-term phase, which will …

On 3 April 2020, Europol published a report on cybercrime and disinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Forms of cybercime include ransomware, DDoS, child sexual exploitation, the darknet, and hybrid threats such as disinformation and interference campaigns.According to the report’s key findings, the COVID-19 …

On 17 April 2020, Europol published a report on the activities of counterfeiters during the COVID-19 crisis. The report provides an overview on counterfeits, substandard goods, and intellectual property crime during the crisis.According to the report, Organised Crime Groups producing and distributing counterfeit …